To Follow Dreams
by Lady Nosila
Summary: Orihime heals a severely wounded Grimmjow & he decides to pay her back by acting as her personal bodyguard. Consists of three stories that are sequels to What Fairy Tales Entail & Qualities of Real Life. Slight warning on language, since it is Grimmjow.
1. Two For An Imaginary Truth

_I finally got it done! Thank you to all readers and reviewers. Hope you enjoy!_

_**Two For An Imaginary Truth**_

_Inspired By: Tite Kubo's "Bleach"_

Orihime paced before the front door to her apartment, her mind buzzing with thoughts on what to do. Ever since Ichigo had gotten his soul reaper powers back and the members of Xcution had been taken care of by him and the soul society, hollows had continued to pop up all over town. Orihime and Chad had been told by Kisuke Urahara to let themselves recuperate some more before joining the others on the battlefield after their memories had finally been fixed to make sure that they were psychologically okay. However there was a hollow near her home and the others were busy fighting other evil spirits already. She knew he friends would scold her for not trusting them to quickly finish the opponents they were fighting and intersect the one stomping down her street as well, but Orihime didn't want to risk someone getting hurt in case Ichigo, Uryu, Renji, or Rukia didn't make it in time. She was sure she could take care of the hollow since all that was left from the ordeal was a headache that came and went and made loud noises rather painful; other than that she was fine.

Making a decision, the seventeen-year old turned from her apartment door and ran for the stairs. Once she was on the shadow-licked street, Orihime headed straight toward direction in which the loud crashes and growls were coming from. Even if the creature was not making so much racket, she would have known where it was by its spiritual pressure; she had always been good at sensing such things.

He steel-grey eyes glanced at the bright quarter moon that hovered in the sky; she wished the stars were visible as well, but clouds blocked them completely after the city lights dulled them. She spotted what she'd been looking for perching on a telephone pole as it prepared to lunge at a spirit of a middle-aged man. It was not a big hollow considering, only about the size of a truck. Its tail was long and whip-like while its thick body was a dull grey and was covered in short, razor-like spikes. The milky mask the adorned the hollow was triangular with small slits used as eyeholes. The creature's prey screamed as it attacked with a vicious roar. Orihime raced forward summoning her Shun Shun Rika as she went; the pounding of her sneakers on the cement echoing in the darkness. She breathed a sigh of relief when she successfully shielded the man and halted the evil soul's charge.

"Run away." Orihime told the spirit; he was happy to comply and quickly dashed away screaming. The hollow moved to chase him, but the red-orange haired girl quickly blocked its way. "I won't let you pass." She said in a determined tone. Her opponent bared its teeth and snarled before lashing out at her shield. Orihime stood her ground and took advantage of the opening that the hollow created with its attack by using Tsubaki to slice the hollow across the mask. The cut was not deep, but it startled the creature into backing away slightly.

The evil spirit was surprised and hurt by the girl's attack at first, but after a moment, a new flood of anger consumed the beast completely. It let out a terrible shriek that vibrated Orihime's eardrums and made her already tender head feel as if it was about to explode from the headache. She kept her shield up and instinctively covered her ears with shaking hands, her eyes squeezed shut in an effort to help calm the pain.

The furious hollow saw his chance to skewer the girl and didn't hesitate to whip his tail around to attack from behind. Being too preoccupied, Orihime did not see the sharp tail aimed at her back until she sensed the danger. She only had enough time to turn her head slightly to look over her shoulder, but it was too late for her to defend. She was sure it was the end of her and a wave of regret filled her. She didn't want to die like this; surly Ichigo or someone would save her right?

Her wish was realized when a shadowy figure appeared between her and her almost death. She vaguely realized that the newcomer had come from the sky and had impaled the tail to the street with a zanpakuto; then she realized who her savior was. She had assumed it had been Ichigo, but the blade of the weapon was too small, the figure's height was too tall, and his shoulders too broad. Slowly the man turned his head and she was met with the face of Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez.

"G-Grimmjow…" She gasped as she remembered the last time he rescued her and the last time she'd seen him. He didn't respond to her, rather, he lifted his left arm as he gathered energy in the palm of his hand and Orihime flinched, fearing what he planned to do. The former Sixth Espada shot a bala over the girl's shoulder; it shattered her shield and obliterated the lesser hollow. She released a small shriek when the blast pushed her back a step and almost into Grimmjow.

She spun around and backed away from Ichigo's enemy and expected him to demand for her to do something to repay him for rescuing her like he had before. She hadn't expected him to stagger back a step and lean on the telephone pole for support. His expression had not changed; it held a blank, but intense look in his blue eyes that she had often seen between his psychotic grin and the expression he showed when he was feeling murderous. Curious, Orihime allowed her eyes to drift lower than his face. She gasped at the sight that met her; he was horribly wounded and covered in dried and fresh blood.

His chest was bare except for blood-soaked bandages that had been sloppily wrapped around it, as if he'd done it himself. It was obvious that under the white strips was a large capital 'I' shaped wound, like a cut for surgeries or dissection. Bits of his hollow mask had been cut away and his right arm seemed to be missing fingers. He had a long fresh-looking cut that went down over his left eye. It had been stitched professionally, but in a way that resulted in the lid being sewn shut as well; Orihime suddenly wondered if his eyes was still there at all. The lighting was bad, so there was no way she could see everything that ailed him.

"Oh my gosh…" The kind-hearted girl covered her mouth as she slowly stepped toward him. She was about to summon Ayame and Shun'o, but his growl stopped her.

"Not here, idiot." He started to straighten from his position by the pole and Orihime stepped forward to offer assistance; Grimmjow refused with a threatening glare and a cold "Don't touch me." Seeing him in such a horrible condition reminded her of the last time she'd seen him lying on the white sands in Los Noches; it sent waves of guilt through her over not healing him then.

"My home is this way…what happened to you?" She couldn't help but ask. He ignored her and concentrated on not showing any weakness, despite the fact that he had an open incision on his chest that he had to wrap himself while breaking out from the Twelfth Division Research Center and leaving the Soul Society. Most of the drugs the bastard Captain had injected him with had worn off so he was starting to feel every slice, stitch, and stab; he had been so out of it for so long he hadn't even realized he'd had a number of certain wounds until they started hurting. His skin itself burned and ached and he knew he was bleeding internally since he decided to escape before the asshole could sew him up. Moving the way he had when saving the girl had not helped at all, but when he'd seen her in danger, his body had acted without thinking. He hadn't been certain he'd have the strength to fire a bala, so the fact he could was reassuring.

The girl looked almost exactly as he remembered, though her hair style was a little different; it looked softer and was wavy now. Her eyes were still the kind and innocent steel-grey they were before and she was the same height and had the same figure that filled her yellow short-sleeved shirt and long white skirt elegantly. She even reacted as Grimmjow expected: with sympathy and an eagerness to help someone.

Orihime guided him to her home and the arrancar was relieved that she had not insisted in helping him; everything hurt and even her gentle touch would cause a string of pain-induced curses from him lips. He managed to get up the stairs and to her door by willpower alone, pausing to let her unlock the door before entering.

Orihime was shocked at his smooth movements despite his extensive injuries; she figured that the only reason he was able to act so fine when he obviously wasn't was because of his numerous past battle wounds. Her shock only increased when she turned the lights in her place on and saw that not only did he have the more noticeably open wounds, but there were patches of red-purple colored skin scattered over his right arm, left shoulder and side, and on his neck and right side of his face, as if he had a rash or was having an allergic reaction to something. She was unsure whether it was spread any lower to his legs because he wore loose white pants. She noticed he was barefoot and wondered if his toes were cold, but shoved the thought aside. She observed that he was thinner and had lost a lot of muscle mass since she'd seen him last. His blue hair was longer and messier then she was used to seeing and was soaked with sweat. Despite everything though, she could see his arrogance, pride, and passion reflecting through his good eye.

"Hurry up, woman." Grimmjow suddenly ordered slowly lowering himself onto her couch and keeping his expression neutral; he refused to reveal just how much everything hurt.

"I should call my friends first. They should know…"

"No!" He barked out, obviously really hating that idea. "Just heal me so I can leave for Hueco Mundo." She paused before nodding and cautiously approaching, her eyes scanning his battered form. If he was being honest, which she realized he had always been as far as she knew, then she would just have to tell Ichigo and the others after he left. Orihime bent so she was kneeling at his side and Grimmjow kept his focus on her, waiting for her to fix everything. She didn't need to say anything; Shun'o and Ayame few from her hair pins and hovered over the former Espada. She watched as his fingers grew back and his eye wound vanished leaving the stiches to fall onto his lap. The eyeball itself took quite a few seconds more to form. It was like someone surgically removed it. She found it incredible that he was still alive, even for an arrancar; he wouldn't have been for much longer if he had not found her as quickly as he had.

Focusing all her energy on his chest since it was healing the slowest, she noted that he was in really bad shape. The odd rash was another matter; she couldn't reject it which made her try harder. When it seemed to be starting to lighten, she sighed slightly.

"W-what happened?" She asked softly, not liking him just silently staring at her.

"The bastard kept injecting me with shit...I think. Removed things he had no business taking out." He responded, grinding his teeth together in both relief and pain as he felt his insides knitting together and reforming under her healing light.

"Who…" She started, fearing that she already knew.

"Fucking Soul Reaper." He growled out and she looked down, feeling ashamed even more for having not healed him two years before; he could be frolicking around in Hueco Mundo instead of having his insides regrown if she had. She knew the Soul Reaper who was responsible for Grimmjow's torture. Uryu had told her about Captain of Squad Twelve, Mayuri Kurotsuchi and his craving for knowledge; her Quincy friend had said that he would do anything to learn about something once it caught his interest. She herself had seen just how far he was willing to go during her time in the Soul Society; he had killed his own subordinates! When she had heard from Uryu about his fight with the Captain, despite having seen him already herself, Orihime had pictured a mad scientist with wild frizzy hair, big goggles, and a white lab coat. Uryu quickly reminded her that he actually looked more like a clown. After seeing Grimmjow, the girl came to a final conclusion that the Squad Twelve Captain was a bigger monster than the arrancar seated on her couch.

"How did you escape?" Orihime asked. Grimmjow frowned at her constant questions but didn't see the harm in answering them.

"I ripped the asshole's arm off while he was cutting me open and tore apart any bastard stupid enough to try to stop me." The girl bit her lip gently at his response, hoping anyone he savaged during his escape wasn't too badly hurt. Feeling the skin on his chest knitting together the rest of the way, the arrancar leaned back on the couch and peeled away the bandages. He couldn't help but still be in awe of her power; she was a miracle worker. The girl deserved respect which he showed by not ripping a hole through her just for existing and being one of Kurosaki's friends. Once more she returned his power to him when he'd had it taken away; he would have to repay her again. Though he hated being in debt to someone, he absolutely loathed being unable to defend himself properly, so he would learn to deal with owing her for the time being.

"You had to bandage yourself up, didn't you?" She asked and he snorted but said nothing. "I'm sorry." She said softly catching his attention from his thoughts. Grimmjow knew it was coming; from his brief past interactions with her, he quickly came to realize that she was the type who couldn't help but think that they could have done something to prevent every bad thing from happening. Kurosaki was the same way.

"For what?" He said harshly (thinking about Ichigo really pissed him off) and Orihime winced.

"If I healed you before I returned home…"

"I would have gone straight to that damn Soul Reaper to gouge his stupid eyes out." Grimmjow smirked at the idea which made Orihime pause in her healing.

"What do you plan to do once you're healed?" The girl asked, leaning away and recalling how, though he had unintentionally helped the Soul Society win the war, he _did_ want the hurt Ichigo. How could she have forgotten; his hatred of the substitute Soul Reaper was what drove him to betray Aizen.

"I already told you; I go to Hueco Mundo." Orihime slowly nodded before continuing her task. "Once I've gained enough strength, I'll return and kill every asshole who dared to cross me."

"You can't!" The seventeen year old gasped loudly and the former Espada frowned at her almost-shout.

"How dare you tell me what I can and can't do." Grimmjow growled out and Orihime's eyes filled with fear and she shuffled away, still on her knees and her healing shield still over him. The former Sexta Espada was surprised that he didn't feel his usual pride over installing fear into another; rather he regretted making her back away from him. His fingers itched to grab her and drag her back to his side, but kept the impulse in check.

"I-I didn't mean to…I just don't want anyone to get hurt." She said softly.

"Tch! You just don't want Kurosaki to get his ass kicked. And why be so willing to heal me; I doubt he would be too happy about it." Grimmjow said sharply and the girl's eyes widened slightly.

"I didn't think I had a choice. Besides, Ichigo will understand; he's very kind and always wants to help everyone he can, even if it ends up making more trouble for himself. It's true that I don't want him to get hurt, but I feel the same way about all of my friends and you too." She said honestly. It was the arrancar's turn to be surprised. He felt pleased at her concern for him even though he was just one of many she worried about; he wondered how she could be so caring. Still…it was the stupid strawberry head that had most of her attention; Grimmjow couldn't figure out how she'd fallen for the boy in the first place. Despite the lack of any special attention from him, whenever it came to Ichigo Kurosaki the girl was oh-so willing to throw her safety away as long as she could help the damnable Soul Reaper. Grimmjow doubted the boy would pick up on her obvious feelings on his own and had a feeling that the young beauty would be waiting forever for her precious prince to realize what he could have. It was kind of pitiful.

"Has he looked at you yet?" He asked just to be sure.

"Ichigo always looks at me; he looks at everyone he talks to." Orihime responded, feeling a little confused by the question.

"That's not what I meant." The former Espada said, slightly amused by her innocence. It took a moment, but the girl did realize that he was referring to whether Ichigo had started to see her as a woman or if he still treated like all his other friends. From what Orihime knew, she was just another girl he happened to be friends with.

"No…" She said softly looking down at her hands as she rested them in her lap. Grimmjow scowled at her sad expression. He brushed a hand through his hair, noting that he had to clean himself up when he had a chance; he was covered in dried blood and sweat. His intense blue gaze shifted from her lowered eyes down to her pouty lips. He couldn't believe anyone, expecially a warm blooded teenager, could overlook such a kind, beautiful female, no matter how weird she was personality-wise.

"He is a fool then." Grimmjow said honestly. Orihime gasped and looked up at him. Had she heard him correctly? It sounded as if he had complemented her, even if it was through insulting Ichigo. Though she thought it was strange, his comment made her feel good. "Are you done yet?" The arrancar grumbled as she smiled at him.

"Almost." She said happily and he felt like sulking. She focused more of her energy into ridding him of the last of whatever the weird rash was on his skin, ignoring how tired she was getting. Once all traces of his time in captivity were gone, Orihime allowed Shun'o and Ayame to return to her hair pins and grinned at him. Grimmjow scowled at how she seemed to glow with happiness; he wasn't used to such good vibes being sent his way and it left him uncomfortable and agitated. Silently cursing under his breath for stupidly saying something that would cheer her up, he got to his feet and looked at the girl intently. She shot up beside him, still smiling away without a care in the world.

Orihime hadn't known Grimmjow could say something so nice. What really made her so happy though was that he had said it so openly and honestly. She felt like singing with joy, but held back since the temperamental arrancar was still present.

Wincing at her smiling face, he turned from her and opened a garganta into Hueco Mundo and started to head into it. Right as he was about to step inside, a soft, gentle, and kind voice called out from behind him.

"Good Bye Grimmjow. I'm glad I was able to see you again." She said so innocently. He paused and looked back, his blue stare landing on her grey ones. They weren't like steel, he decided, they were more like rain clouds. If he was a sappy airhead like her, he would probably think that they were rain clouds pouring emotion or something equally stupid, but he was not. Still…he didn't feel like just leaving, so he decided to do something so embarrassingly un-Grimmjow-like that he would forever keep it a secret.

Much to Orihime's surprise, he turned around and walked toward her, the blank look on his face again. Before she had a chance to react, he gently grabbed her hand and pulled her close, leaning down as he went. The moment his lips touched hers Orihime's heart stopped. Her eyes widened, then slowly closed and he deepened the kiss. It was her first kiss. Feeling light-headed and off-kilter, she grabbed at his arms for some support, but he was already pulling away. Next thing the girl knew, Grimmjow had his back to her and was disappearing as the garganta closed. Before he vanished from her sight completely, he glanced over his shoulder and their eyes met again.

Just as the garganta sealed them off completely, Grimmjow grinned, remembering how she tasted sweet. It had taken him a while to admit it to himself, but he definitely had a soft spot for the girl.

Orihime was in a state of shock. She couldn't believe that he had kissed her, something she had only dreamed of doing with Ichigo; she couldn't believe even more that he'd been so gentle. She stared at the wall, trying to remember how to move. After a couple minutes, she slowly glanced around her, suddenly realizing she had been kissed by Ichigo's enemy.

Still light-headed, Orihime decided that she should just go to bed; she could tell everyone about Grimmjow in the morning, though she would leave out the part of him kissing her. It would be too embarrassing to try to explain it to her friends. She could almost hear Rukia freaking out and wondered if Ichigo would too, but didn't want to find out.

She changed into her pajamas, brushed her hair and teeth, and turned all the lights out. Snuggled under the covers, Orihime's finger tips gently brushed against her lips and allowed a smile to slid onto her face. Recalling her fairy tale story, Orihime realized who Grimmjow was in it. He wasn't a prince, evil lackey, or a villain; he was her knight, even if he didn't know it.


	2. Obvious Lies Last Forever

_I am really, REALLY sorry that it took so long to update. I had difficulties finding the time to write, but at least it's here now, right? Plus it ended up being __**super **__long (my longest of any chapter or short story so far), so that's a bonus too. Anyway, thank you to all readers and reviewers; I hope you enjoy this fourth little story in my series. Hope you have a nice day!_

_**Obvious Lies Last Forever**_

_Inspired By: Tite Kubo's "Bleach"_

The sunset was quite beautiful, even with it splitting open for a certain arrancar to step through; Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez had returned to the World of the Living. Deep cerulean eyes scanned the rooftops of Karakura Town as another sigh escaped his frowning mouth. It had been three months since the last time he paid the place a visit; he'd spent the entire time in Hueco Mundo fighting and devouring every hollow he came across in order to regain his strength and recover his spiritual pressure after everything that the damnable Twelfth Division Captain had done to him. All the while…as his rage quietly simmered in wait for the right time to let it all boil over and finally exact his revenge, he couldn't help thinking about the debt he owed the young woman who made his swift and relatively simple return possible. If she had not healed him that night, Grimmjow would probably still be in that horrifically weak condition and would never have come even close to the level of power he once had again.

Because of Orihime Inoue, the former Sexta Espada had not only recovered, but he had also _surpassed_ the level he'd been at when he'd last fought Ichigo Kurosaki. He felt like a new man and is some ways he was. However, even _he_ knew that his personality overall would never change.

He sensed several familiar spiritual pressures, but two in particular stood out. The now strong and steady one of the strawberry head made his eye twitch in anger while the forever gentle, soothing one of the princess calmed him enough to remember what he had to do first. It was an odd combination to focus on. He ignored Kurosaki…for the time being, and turned in the direction that the girl was in. He glanced one last time toward the Substitute Soul Reaper (who was one of the top three on his hit list) and made a silent promise to himself: soon. Repaying his debt was the first matter he would complete, but it was revenge against every asshole that'd ever made the mistake of pissing him off that he'd returned for, and nothing would stop him.

* * *

><p>The evening was clear and the cool air was crisp against Orihime Inoue's skin as she skipped down the street from the convenience store she'd just left. She was strolling back to her apartment after picking up some peanut butter and leeks for lunch the next day; her bag of groceries swinging and almost hitting something on several occasions. Despite the sun setting in the sky and the ever increasing darkness spreading as night fell, when she noticed that she was out of peanut butter earlier that day, the girl made up her mind that her omelets absolutely <em>needed<em> the last ingredient, or her lunch would be ruined. The leeks were just an extra bonus that she couldn't resist.

Orihime's already high spirits lifted even more as her wide grey eyes moved to focus on the still darkening sky. The sun had just past the horizon line, so the vast space was not yet a dark ebony-blue; instead she admired a red and purple mixture that seemed to darken as she watched. Realizing how late it was getting, she turned her attention back on where she was walking and continued on her way home. It was not long though until she found herself bored and deciding that there was nothing like a good melody to add excitement to even a simple walk down the street.

A tune from a child's television show started from her as a soft hum, but it was not long until she was singing the lyrics all-out and imagining that she was a singer on stage. In her mind, she pictured herself on stage, spotlights dancing across the sky and hordes of people jumping and screaming with the music. Her friends were her band. Tatsuki, Uryu, Chad, Rukia, and Renji all played their instruments enthusiastically while Ichigo playing the electric guitar at her side at the edge of the stage. Dressed as a rock star, she struck poses and sang with all her might to the cutesy song.

The singing and dancing girl attracted some funny looks from the occasional passerby who moved past her on the sidewalk, but her daydream prevented her from noticing. She was in the middle of imagining herself winning a curry eating contest when she sensed something that made her freeze and snap back to reality. His presence was strong, no longer weak and pained as it was the last time she'd seen him.

She spun around to face the arrancar that had occupied her thoughts from time to time. She'd been curious if they would meet again, even wanting to at times; after leaving the way he had three months before once she'd healed him, she could not help but wonder how she should react though. He stood about fifteen feet away with a blank expression masking his discomfort about approaching someone who acted so weird in public, even if he was invisible to normal humans.

"Gr-Grimmjow!" She gasped in surprise, though he didn't know why. He'd told her he'd return.

The human girl stared at him with wide eyes full of surprise and wonder. Why would he seek her out? Orihime pondered whether it had anything to do with…with…the memory of the night flooded her thoughts and brought a deep blush to her cheeks. Realizing he was still watching her only added to her embarrassment and she quickly shook her head to clear her thoughts. She looked back at the man and forced herself to focus on him and not his kiss, but the connection was inevitable. Somehow though, she managed to stay on track (sort of) enough to notice his appearance.

He looked better than the last time she'd seen him; he looked healthier, thicker. He'd gained more weight, all of which was lean muscle of course. His blue hair (which she still thought was quite a lovely color) was trimmed and allowed to go back to its old wild, spikey ways. He apparently retrieved clothes from Los Noches because his open white jacket that showed off his perfectly-sculptured chest along with the black boots and sash looked terribly familiar. His white pants were different though; simpler and containing less fabric. A small part of her was glad he was okay, even though another part feared his reason for returning to Karakura Town. He had yet to speak which sparked the girl's curiosity even more.

Grimmjow had heard her loud, cheerful, and extremely out-of-tune singing long before he saw her twirling down the sidewalk. The girl was obviously tone-deaf and had way too much time on her hands. She'd noticed him the moment he was within fifty feet of her since masking his incredible spiritual pressure only worked to a certain extent. It was near impossible to hide it all now that the arrancar was so much stronger than before; he hadn't had the time to learn proper control. With the little princess standing in front of him and his eyes focused on her face (which was strangely turning bright red), Grimmjow was having difficulties trying to decide how he would actually go about paying her back. He said nothing simply because he had nothing to say at that moment.

Under his gaze, the girl was starting to fidget with puzzlement over his behavior…that much he could tell easily. He observed her bright orange hair falling gently down her back and how her T-shirt and sweat pants fit her form perfectly. Her hips swayed as she switched her weight from foot to foot and she gently bit her lip. He watched with the same blank expression, though he couldn't help but recall his impulsive and out-of-character action that night. He'd kissed her simply because he felt like it and didn't reject the idea the moment it popped into his head. His regard for her wasn't romantic though; he looked at her with both respect and as some rare, helpless critter in need of preservation.

While Grimmjow remained silent and lost with his own thoughts, Orihime was struggling to figure out why he was standing before her and not saying anything. She decided after much inner dialogue with herself that his pride must be what was holding him back from speaking. She was an air-head, but that didn't mean she was stupid; she knew that even Ichigo had trouble asking for something. Since her friend and the blue-haired arrancar were so much alike personality-wise (once one looked past the latter's violent tendencies, that is), she was sure that his pride had something to do with everything. The helpful thing to do was figure out what he needed and offer to help without making it seem like charity. The girl was totally positive that Grimmjow was alone in Karakura Town since he was the loner type. She figured he had nowhere to go and no one else to go to without the end result being a violent battle to the death. That was when it dawned on her…how could it be anything else?

"Oh! I know! I bet you are lonely and looking for a place to stay!" She suddenly blurted out, certain that she'd hit the nail on the head. Her fist hit her palm signaled her realization just in case her expression wasn't enough. The arrancar blinked before rolling his eyes at her kind, stupidly-innocent nature. Orihime did not notice his reaction and grinned at how brilliant her woman's intuition was. Staring off into her own little world, she starting going on and on about friendship and how she would be happy to help while the male began to grow agitated. She ended her speech with, "And I am happy that you were kind enough to visit. If you'd like, you could stay at m…" Her voice suddenly cut off and Grimmjow wondered if she had just remembered who she was talking to.

In actuality, the kind-hearted girl had simply recalled what Rukia had told her three months before when she'd told her friends about the visit from the tortured arrancar and her role in healing him. They all understood that assisting hadn't really been choice at the time, but the female Soul Reaper made her promise that if Grimmjow ever returned, she was to get away from him and be very careful since his intentions could only be left to the imagination. Though the possibility of revenge being on his mind was extremely likely, what a healthy Grimmjow could want from Orihime could only be bad.

"I'm sorry…perhaps if I ask around, one of my friends is bound to want to help." She said, though a big part of her didn't think anyone would actually welcome the former Espada.

"I am not looking for a place to stay." He stated, having enough of her little theory. The threat of her trying to send him to live with one of her groupies left him no choice but to say something.

"I see…then why are you here?" She asked so sweetly that he felt rather ill. Her arms had moved so her hands clasped behind her back and her bosom stood out even more. The problem was that she was doing everything naturally; there was no fraud in anything she said or did, whether in looks or personality. Once more he found himself fascinated by such a powerful but sickeningly defenseless creature. She was way too open and trusting with everyone for her own good…expecially with someone who assisted in her kidnapping and fought under Aizen (even if it had been reluctantly) two year prior.

Now that he wasn't distracted by extreme pain, Grimmjow could not help but take note of how attractive he found her as a whole; her soul, appearance, and very existence was so bright compared to the dark and scheming hollows he knew so well. Anyone, expecially a kind-hearted human, with her abilities could only attract trouble; it was that realization that gave Grimmjow his answer on how to repay his debt: he would save her life.

"That's it." He said to himself as his expression changed to a smirk that made Orihime gasp. She tried not to think about the kiss, but the moment he gave her his cocky look, her heart skipped a beat and she felt her cheeks warm; he paid no attention to that though. "I'm going to be sticking around for a bit and decided to just say 'hi' to an old acquaintance is all." He said turning to go. If he'd told her the whole truth to his paying her a visit, then he would have to hear her little comments of how 'it isn't necessary' and how 'she is just happy to help'. He had to pay her back in order to protect his pride and her kindness would only serve to annoy him. Besides, if he stuck around as he planned to do, it would be better if she did not think he was in her direct vicinity at all times in case she let something slip to someone. With his simple plan in motion, it was only a matter of time until he repaid her for her favor so he could finally destroy every single bastard he wanted to kill.

Orihime watched the broad back of the arrancar disappear into the night with nothing short of complete and utter astonishment. Her heart still beat with a quickness she had thought only happened when Ichigo was near; it wasn't right. She knew what it meant and why, but that didn't make it perfectly fine to have a crush on an arrancar that was out to get her friends. It was all because of that kiss; it had not only been her first but so far it had also been her only.

Sighing, Orihime turned and resumed the trek home again, but with a lot less vigor then before.

"I wonder what he really wanted…" She asked herself softly and glanced in the direction he'd vanished. It was completely dark when the girl reached her apartment and decided to just go to bed after preparing for the next day. She lay quietly in deep thought until finally drifting off.

* * *

><p>Grimmjow watched the overly-cheerful Orihime dash excitedly up to what he supposed was her friend. The girl with short, spikey black hair wasn't anyone he recognized, though her spiritual was stronger than the average human. The little princess herself was way too happy considering it was early in the morning; how the hell could anyone be hopping with so much energy after only waking up ten minutes before. Even more amazing though was that people (namely the black-haired female) seemed to tolerate her idiotic bouncing. Even from his sizable distance from her, the girl's speed talking sounded more like a chipmunk's chatter to his poor ears.<p>

His growing annoyance and headache made him want to punch something. His need to smash and destroy increased, yet all he could do was grind his teeth since the temperamental arrancar was trying to lay low and avoid attracting attention from any Soul Reapers until he repaid his debt.

Noticing that the two school girls where now on the move to what he could only guess was school (duh), Grimmjow slid onto his feet with feline grace and followed. He strolled across the sky with an eye on the pair until they passed the gates that signaled that they had entered the campus grounds and merged into the crowds of other students. He remained several hundred feet from the building just in case his spiritual pressure escaped his control, even if only for a moment.

His deep blue gaze followed the bobbing head of long orange hair as it entered the school. Frowning slightly, Grimmjow found a nice roof-top nearby to lounge on as he waited for something to happen. When the arrancar noticed another familiar orange-haired individual crossing the grounds and heading for class, a low growl rumbled in his chest but he remained in his spot with considerable self-control. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

><p>Orihime's day went by quickly. Though she could feel a certain blue-haired former Espada in the corner of her mind and waiting to fill her thoughts, she managed to keep herself distracted easily enough. She focused first on preparing for school, then on Tatsuki, then class. She kept her smile plastered on her face and hummed or talked constantly to keep her spirits high. It was working, which was good, but she could still feel thoughts of Grimmjow nagging at her. It had taken her weeks to remove the kiss from the foreground of her mind and his return only brought it back again.<p>

During lunch, the orange-haired girl headed to the roof with Tatsuki to join Ichigo, Chad, Uryu, Rukia, and Renji so they could eat together. Keigo and Mizuiro were buying snacks from within the school. It were nearing summer break and the day were warm and sunny, allowing the group a peaceful meal with birds chipping merrily in the background. Chewing her bite of her chilled peanut butter and mushroom omelet with leeks, Orihime stole a glance at Ichigo. He seemed much happier with his powers then he had for a while; she was glad. He had seemed rather depressed since the final battle with Aizen, so his return relieved most of their friends.

While watching the young man converse with the others between his own bites of food, Orihime realized that he hadn't looked at her since she and Tatsuki had arrived. He focused on people who he was speaking to and didn't single anyone out as special. In his eyes, she was only one of his good friends, maybe even a sister figure. The thought broke her heart; expecially since Grimmjow seemed to show more interest in her than the boy she'd loved for as long as she could remember (which at that time wasn't very long). On the other hand though, a part of her wondered about why Grimmjow would show interest in her in the first place. She'd always figured that positive attention from Grimmjow was extremely unlikely and, after some thought, she doubted it was even possible; she'd probably dreamed up the night before. The kiss hadn't meant anything and she was being silly to start imagining that he would return and bother to visit her. In a split second she decided that the night before was all in her head. For some reason it dampened her spirits even more.

After swallowing the food in her mouth, the girl looked at her lap to hide any depressed expression. A final sigh escaped her lips before she mentally batted what she dubbed as foolish sadness away and picked up the last of her omelet with her chop sticks. She forced a grin and turned to Tatsuki.

"This is so nice. I love lunch." She chuckled and popped the last bite between her teeth while her friend smiled warmly at her.

"Yeah, I noticed." After a moment she added, "What were you eating anyway?" The black haired girl asked cautiously; she, like most people, could never decide whether they wanted to know or not.

"It's my special peanut butter and mushroom omelet with leeks. It's so yummy, though I think I'll try adding ketchup next time." Orihime was so busy grinning angelically that she didn't notice all of her friends turn green. "If you want, I can make extra tomorrow and we can all share!" She added, somehow becoming even more cheerful.

"N-no…that's okay, Orihime." Tatsuki blurted out quickly. "There is no need; besides, you have to focus on taking care of yourself." The rest of the group relaxed before moving back to the conversations they were having before the girl had threatened to cook for them.

"Oh…I guess, but if you change your mind, just let me know." Orihime said before placing a thoughtful finger to her chin. "By the way, I was wondering if anyone might have noticed something last night. Maybe a hollow?" She asked, thinking about Grimmjow again. He just kept popping into her head; at that time she refused to consider why he was occupying places in her thoughts Ichigo used to dominate. For instance, she kept thinking about how his scowl was rather endearing, especially when he was caught doing or saying something good without meaning to, or how his hair was weird, but so lovely.

"No." Ichigo answered her question and pulled her back to the real world. "Why do you ask?"

"Ah! No reason, I was just wondering." She blurted out, her arms waving to deny the possibility of a reason. If she'd only imagined Grimmjow, then there was no point in worrying any of her friends. In the back of her mind though, a stray notion drifted on the edge of the mind: what if he'd been real though?

"Okay…? Anyway, Rukia, what you were saying about Byakuya…" The Substitute Soul Reaper turned back to the lieutenant of Squat thirteen. Orihime glanced down at her hand that now rested in her lap and smiled sadly. Perhaps it was time to let go. She would always love him, but it was now obvious that Ichigo was not for her.

* * *

><p>When the time came to head home, Orihime's face was tired and sore from smiling so much. She knew Tatsuki could see though her fake smile and was worried, but she also knew that her dear friend wouldn't ask unless she thought it was absolutely necessary. Orihime's problem could only fixed when she found her own answer.<p>

It was all because of that kiss (that gentle, soft, chaste kiss); somehow though, she didn't regret it. If Ichigo wasn't going to bother with her, why not Grimmjow then? He wasn't _all_ bad after all. The girl had already made her mind up about that, but now there was something else inside her. Was it possible that she, the little goody-goody princess, was falling for the rough and tough former Espada?

Orihime was so immersed in her thoughts that she did not notice the car speeding illegally down the street and began crossing when the sign told her to. A loud car horn echoing through Karakura Town and the screech of tires brought her back to reality just in time for her head to turn and see a mass of red medal swerving toward her.

* * *

><p>The girl was a freaking menace! Grimmjow couldn't believe how many close calls she had in the time it took for her to walk from her school, to a corner store, then to her apartment. The first time he'd had to step in was when she was crossing the street and a speeding car ran a light and almost hit her. The arrancar hopped from the building he had been perched on and grabbed her elbow; he yanked her back onto the sidewalk just in time. For a moment Orihime was still, then after realizing what had happened, she gasped.<p>

"Oh! T-thank you for saving m-" The girl was turning to get a look at her savior; when she saw him (there was no way she didn't), she cut off mid-sentence. She suddenly jumped away from him, her arm pulling from his loosening grip. "Um…ah…thank you again!" She blurted out before rushing away without glancing back, though he could hear her mumbling as she went. Frowning, he ignored the curious and naive humans that looked through him and instead watched the girl hurry across the street and blend with the crowd. Curious about her odd reaction, Grimmjow didn't pause to follow her.

It was not long until the arrancar realized just how troublesome the female was; within the ten minutes it took for her to get from the school to the store she was headed for, besides almost being hit by the car, Orihime tripped four times (once on some steps), almost had a potted plant land on her head when it fell from a window, walked into a glass door, and was threatened by muggers. Each time Grimmjow stepped in and saved her at the last second (except for when she walked into the door; he just laughed at her then), though he had a feeling she would have been fine if he hadn't. What bothered him to no end though was that every time he grabbed her to keep her from falling on her face or even when he chased off the muggers (he didn't find the assholes screaming about invisible monsters as they fled to be as funny as he'd thought he would), she would look at him wide-eyed before shaking her head and smacking her hands on her cheeks. The girl then thanked him hurriedly then dashed away. Grimmjow was becoming extremely aggravated, but his curiosity was still greater. It was like she was trying to ignore him yet be polite about it. The conclusion that he drew from the whole thing was that the girl was freaking insane!

After more incidents involving the girl's clumsiness or stupidity, Orihime was home. He settled down on the roof over her apartment and sighed. He flopped down on his side and made sure that his spiritual pressure was well hidden. The former Espada closed his eyes to block out the brightness that the setting sun released and pondered how long he would stay until he decided his debt was repaid. She had healed several serious wounds, so his pride demanded that he not cheap out when paying her back.

Frowning, Grimmjow heard loud banging noises from the girl's rooms and paused briefly before moving to the window that she'd opened up a crack for fresh air. He slid smoothly through the opening; his broad shoulders and muscular form made it a tight squeeze, but he still managed easily. He glanced around, noting that during the three months since the last time he was inside her home, nothing had changed. Slowly, his eyes scanned his surrounding before landing on the girl who was crouched in the kitchen area and gathering up the pans she had dropped. When she looked up, their eyes met and he smirked.

"Hey." He said, his blue eyes flashing. "Now tell me what the hell you problem is."

* * *

><p>Orihime bit her lip and tried to calm herself as she prepared her dinner. She had been so distracted by her thoughts that on her way home she'd made more mistakes than usual. It didn't help that every time she turned around she saw Grimmjow's face; the arrancar dominating her thoughts was one thing, but hallucinating his presence was a cause for concern. She'd never had to worry about imagining Ichigo in places he wasn't; if she saw him it was because he was there.<p>

A gasp escaped her when a pan slipped from her hand as she was moving to place it on the stove. It fell to the floor with a clang that made her jump. The girl's hurried movement caused her to bump into a pile of pans that she had stacked on the counter while searching of the right one. The group followed the first and resulted in the apartment being filled with the sounds of metal crashing onto linoleum.

"Phooey…" She mumbled as she dove to gather the mess off the floor. While leaning over to reach for a pan that had bounced further than the others, she noticed a pair of black-booted feet. Her first instinct was to look up to see who had entered her home, though a part of her already knew who she would find.

Sure enough, her large grey eyes locked with vibrant blue ones and her heart skipped a beat.

"Hey." He said and Orihime felt a slight blush spread across her cheeks. "Now tell me what the hell your problem is." Grimmjow demanded. Slowly Orihime stood, her gaze moving to focus on her feet. Slowly, the girl decided to respond; if she faced imaginary Grimmjow, then perhaps she could get a grip over herself.

"I-I am…very confused." She said so softly that it was almost a whisper.

"_I_ could have told you _that_." He snorted in reply, the agitation evident in his tone. Orihime's eyes moved back to the arrancar as he began to step closer to her. He stopped within a couple of feet and the girl's eyes widened. From the distance between them, she could sense his restrained spiritual pressure quiet clearly. Obviously he was trying very hard to keep his power reined in. She'd knew her imagination was very good but…

Grimmjow stared at her, wondering why he was even bothering. Though her power still earned her his respect, her humanity also earned his scorn. She was everything he wasn't; that was what both intrigued him and disgusted him.

When the human's small hand reached up to touch his shoulder, his own hand moved to grab it before she could make contact. His eyes narrowed into a sharp, threatening glare.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He growled out and Orihime gasped at the warmth of his skin.

"You're real!" The girl was genuinely surprised.

"Of course I am!" He snarled, not understanding why she would think otherwise.

"Y-you're really here…I didn't imagine you?" She questioned staring up at him, her surprise fading into something else.

"…Where the fuck did you get that idea?" He would never understand how the insane little chick worked.

"Um…" She paused while debating how to answer. "I have no idea." She finally stated before laughing cheerfully. She was so frustrating that the former Espada had difficulties with not smashing something. Ruining apartments was not how one kept under the Soul Reaper radar.

For a moment, Orihime felt an odd warmth from the knowledge that Grimmjow, the man who was her friend's enemy yet hero (she still found it amazing that if it hadn't been for him saving her and ordering her to heal Ichigo, Aizen would have won the war) was standing before her and was truly healthy and whole.

"I didn't think you would visit me, so I thought I'd imagined you last night." She chuckled and grabbed his arm before he could stop her. Tugging on his sleeve slightly, a light blush formed on her cheeks. "I'm glad I got to see you again." She smiled up at him warmly and Grimmjow suddenly recalled why he'd kissed her that time: she was beautiful. Fascinating to the point of being irresistible.

The urge suddenly came over him again, but this time he knew not to respond.

When a burst of spiritual pressure belonging to a massive hollow suddenly appeared, Grimmjow was glad that their attention was stolen from each other. He needed to get away from her; he felt as if she was drawing him in. If he didn't leave immediately, he would never be able to.

"A hollow…" She said softly, her head turned in the direction it was in. Even when she sounded worried her voice was sweet and feminine.

The sudden impulse to bang his head on the wall emerged and overwhelmed everything else; how could he start making idiotic observations about the dumb broad? She was making him go soft and that was unacceptable!

Upon realization of the situation, the arrancar stepped away from the girl who was now moving to her front door; her back was to him and her hair swinging with each step. He felt his fingers twitch, as if itching to reach out and yank on her curls; now that he thought about it, her soft-looking sunset shaded locks were practically begging to be pulled.

Orihime opened the door to her apartment and peered out questioningly; she waited for flares of her friends' spiritual pressure. What she sensed though was only another burst of energy from the hollow. It was a big creature and there was a chance she would be needed by her friends. A determined expression found her face as she turned to slip on her shoes before looking at Grimmjow. She was glad a distraction had appeared. For a brief moment she'd been so happy that she hadn't imagined him that she wanted to _kiss_ _him_. She didn't know if she would ever have managed to be courageous enough to initiate such an act with the man (or any man for that matter), but that didn't mean she didn't like him any less.

"I'm going to help my friends." She told him, though he had already guessed as much. She didn't know what to say after that, so she said nothing. She ran from her apartment leaving the arrancar glaring at the doorway.

"Damn…stupid…fucking foolish…gonna die…" He grumbled and stomped from the building. He trailed her down the street; the thumping of her feet on the cement was easy to follow.

The beating of her heart matched the quick pace of her feet on the street. She knew where she was going since all she had to do was follow the spiritual pressure. The girl concentrated on not tripping or stepping wrong as she ran for a while before she allowed herself to consider what she was feeling for the feline arrancar.

Orihime knew she was in trouble, but not the normal kind. Before she knew it, emotions for Grimmjow swept through her like a tidal wave and carried her out to sea until she was lost, utterly and completely. She loved Ichigo, but it wasn't like it was before. She'd lost all hope of him thinking of her as someone special; now she loved him the same as she loved Tatsuki, Uryu, Chad, Rukia, Renji, and all of her friends. It had been difficult to accept, but she'd finally managed.

The emotion she felt for the former Sexta Espada was very different than the love she currently felt for the others around her; she was _in_ _love_ with Grimmjow. Her Soul Reaper friend had comforted her; when she near or even simply thinking about the arrancar though, Orihime felt overwhelmed with such powerful emotions. How could love be the same, yet feel so different? She knew it was just as real as every ounce of caring she'd ever felt for anyone in her life, even if she wasn't sure how it began.

Oddly, Orihime believed that the first spark was when they'd first met and Aizen ordered her to heal his arm. There was no way to be sure, but she just had a feeling that it was so.

She never forgot the surprised yet curious expression on the blue-haired man's face as his arm reformed to perfection. For a brief moment during the healing his intense blue gaze met her fearful grey one and it was then that she sensed his pain and loneliness (at least she thought what she saw was pain and loneliness). Of course he then frightened the daylights out of her by viciously ripping a hole in Luppi before incinerating the smaller arrancar's upper half, but the special moment still happened.

The fact he made her weak in the knees itself was a problem because in a way it was almost like she was betraying her friends by falling for such a man (he was their enemy). It also spawned more dilemmas that Orihime doubted she could overcome; for instance, the chance that Grimmjow could ever appreciate her feelings let alone reciprocate them was extremely unlikely.

As Orihime dashed down the street, she slowly reached up and touched her hairpins. What would her brother say if he knew about everything that had happened in her life for the past few years. Her world had changed so much. She knew that no matter what, Sora would have done his best to be supportive, but he would also want to protect her.

A roar that shook Orihime down to her bones informed her that she was nearing the newest threat to the danger prone town. With one last burst of speed, the girl put her personal problems out of her mind and sprinted into a park. She hurried to an open area where the hollow was waiting. Orihime was the last to arrive so she was met with the sight of Ichigo hacking away at the monstrous beast while the others took out the smaller and extremely weaker hollows that had come from Hueco Mundo with it. The main attack was the size of a five story building and was rabbit-like in appearance. In seconds Orihime observed how the swarms of smaller creatures were like miniature versions of it and came to the immediate conclusion that they must be its babies.

"I didn't know hollows could have babies." She stated when she noticed Rukia nearby.

"They can't." The petite, black-haired Soul Reaper said approaching her after slaying the hollow she'd been battling. Her large violet eyes shone in the moonlight as she moved to stand at Orihime's side. "These are clones that it started coughing up when we arrived." To prove the ice wielder correctly, the giant hollow suddenly opened its maw and piles of clones fell out to join the fray.

"It threw them up!" The taller female gasped and the shorter one responded with a smile.

"Come one, Orihime. Let's take these guys out so we can go home." The two then split up and rejoined, or in Orihime's case, joined the fight.

* * *

><p>Grimmjow leaned against a tree not far from the fighting and watched with a raised eyebrow. It was apparent that the girl had found her resolve and fought to win. She used her powers without hesitation and proved to be just as capable as any of her friends. He observed how her six fairy-like powers flew around her, waiting to be used.<p>

"Tsubaki!" He heard her cry out as she sent her slicing attack through a clone as it lunged at her. The even louder battle cry of the substitute drew his attention and his eyes slowly left the girl to focus instead on one of his most hated foes.

"Kurosaki." He growled out under his breath, wanting to kill the hollow and take its place against the damned brat. While watching Ichigo slice off one of his opponent's big ears, Grimmjow vaguely realized that it was falling toward an oblivious Orihime. When it clicked that she was about to be squashed by the ear, he didn't hesitate for another second to step in and rescue her yet again.

* * *

><p>Orihime was fighting all out against three clones at once when the next thing she knew, she was tossed over a hard shoulder and was staring at a white back. She slowly twisted to see a head of wild blue hair.<p>

"Grimmjow?" She asked, but she was not alone. Ichigo spoke at the same time as her, so they were almost in harmony. "What are you doing here?" The substitute demanded and the arrancar sighed before glancing over his shoulder at the girl's face.

She blushed at the cocky smirk that adorned his features and had to refrain a shiver when she realized the flesh on his arm was touching the skin on her middle from where her school uniform shirt had come un-tucked from her skirt and slid up slightly. He felt warm.

Then she noticed the giant, severed hollow-bunny ear and her eyes widened even more. For a brief moment she had to hold back a laugh when she thought about how she'd almost perished. She wondered if her friends would have been honest when describing how she met her demise to others. She could just hear it… "It was so tragic. The bunny ear was just too big and it squashed her when it was severed. There was nothing anyone could do."

What brought her out of her little daydreams within a second of her zoning out was the fact that Grimmjow had followed her from her apartment (just as he'd following her all day) and saved her once more.

"What…?" She asked. "Why…?"

"Now we're even." He said simply before Ichigo's demands about his presence caught his attention once more. Orihime blinked; for a moment she was clueless. Suddenly she remembered that during her time in Los Noches, he came to her rescue to repay her for giving him back his arm. Everything that had happened since he'd returned to Karakura Town was to repay her? Orihime didn't know what to think, but she did know that Grimmjow truly was a very unique arrancar.

"-finish this guy then I'll finish you!" The girl came out of her own little world again while Ichigo was in mid-sentence. Smirk still in place, Grimmjow responded by tossing a shocked Orihime at the orange-haired boy and shooting a cero at the now one-eared hollow.

The moment the massive beast met its end, its smaller clones began exploding like balloons; a burnt smell drifted from the puffs of smoke left over.

"Now we can just skip to the me-killing-you part." Grimmjow said aggressively. He'd finally returned the favor, so now it was time for his revenge; time for him to complete the objective he'd come to the World of the Living for.

Ichigo had caught Orihime and held her under his arm with a gentle hold; his large zanpakuto was firmly gripped by his other hand. She wasn't blushing as she normally would. She almost giggled to herself about how fast she'd gone from one man to the other; it had been a gradual thing since the kiss two months before, and she simply noticed it now that the feline arrancar was in her direct vicinity once more.

The girl struggled to hold her hair out of her eyes when he was suddenly jolted; the boy holding her had moved with incredible speed to block a half-hearted attack from a now armed Grimmjow. The former Espada didn't bother to put his all into his blade since the girl was a handicap for his opponent. He wanted his win to be fair, just as his loss before had been.

They crossed blades a few more times; neither willing to go all-out with Orihime there in the middle of it the way she was. However, each clash was still enough for them to test their opponent and sample a bit of how much they'd changed since their last fight.

"You've gotten stronger." Grimmjow observed out loud, his form relaxed and ready to continue attacking at any time. He'd gathered as much the moment he'd arrived from Hueco Mundo, so the boy before him only proved him correct. He wasn't worried though since he himself hadn't been slacking off the last couple of months.

"So have you. Honestly though, I though two years would have had better results." Grimmjow growled at the younger male's comment, but allowed him to continue speaking. He didn't fell like informing him of his two year torture session at the Soul Society. "I would ask what you're doing here, Grimmjow, but I don't really care." The Substitute Soul Reaper finished.

All the while, Orihime dangled from where her friend held her. She must have been a bit of an eyesore because the arrancar's gaze kept moving to her then back to his opponent's face.

"Dump the girl, Kurosaki, so when I kill you, you don't have any excuses." Grimmjow sneered as his eyes left her for the last time and the girl felt her heart thump even more rapidly. Things were going from bad to worse really quickly and all because the former Sexta Espada saved her from a hollow. Sometimes she just didn't understand why the world worked the way it did.

Meanwhile, the boy holding her seemed to be debating what to do. She moved her stare from Grimmjow to the kind face she knew so well and watched him make up his mind.

"Catch her, Chad." he suddenly called and Orihime felt his arm around her waist loosen. A small cry escaped her lips as Ichigo let her fall toward the ground. It was obvious that Chad would catch her just as the substitute told him to, but she still couldn't help but scream a little.

She landed with a gasp in her friend's arms and quickly looked back up to see what was going on. Grimmjow and Ichigo where locked in combat once more.

"Oh no…" Orihime whispered. She leaned against Chad and stared wide-eyed as the two males turned even more violent than before now that she wasn't there to hold them back; her fists tightened on the giant's shirt. Between taunts and threats, the zanpakuto clashed with sharp clangs of steel on steel. Each time the blades met, Orihime flinched, causing the friend supporting her to worry.

"Orihime, what's the matter?" he asked in his deep voice.

"Let me up, Chad. They have to stop!" She replied as she pushed out of his gentle hold and ran closer to the battle despite Rukia's calls to stay away from the fighters.

It wasn't fair; why'd she have to fall for the one guy who would not only never return her feelings, but would also never get along with her friends. She felt tears begin to leak from her eyes, but she paid no mind. She stopped directly under them as Grimmjow resorted to punches after Ichigo disarmed him of his zanpakuto. Orihime took a deep breath before opening her mouth and calling out to them as loud as she could.

* * *

><p>"Please stop! Don't fight!" A delicate voice called his attention from his long-awaited opponent. "Please Grimmjow! Ichigo!" Furious over her interruption, the arrancar turned to release a string of vulgar profanities in her direction, but froze when he noticed the small tears sliding down her cheeks. He'd wanted to cuss out her and every other living creature that existed, but the words died before they had a chance to leave his mouth. Her eyes shined from their wetness and brought a scowl to his face.<p>

One would think that two years of continuous torture for the sake of something as stupid as scientific knowledge would be enough to make him able to hold onto his deep hate for all Soul Reapers, but her pleading eyes, so full of emotion and compassion made his determination sway. The damned female was his weakness; all doubt about it vanished from Grimmjow's mind as he watched her lip tremble and her chest rise and fall with each breath. With her sobbing all pathetically and begging the way she was…he just lost all urges to continue fighting.

"Fine!" He snapped, making the girl jump in surprise. "Fine…but this isn't over yet. I'll get you, you damned Soul Reaper." He glared back at Ichigo and sneered at him. "The next time we meet will be for your funeral!" With that he spun on his heel and with a single sonido, he was gone.

Saying everyone was shocked would be an understatement. The fact that Orihime's pleas had reached the arrancar was simply astonishing.

"What the hell?" Ichigo mumbled, still standing in his battle stance.

"Amazing." Rukia agreed glancing at Orihime who was still rather surprised by the arrancar's quick exit. She hadn't expected it to be so easy; no one did.

"That was…weird." Uryu said walking from his previous position behind a tree. The clashing of the two had created some pretty impressive shockwaves, causing the Quincy to decide that taking cover would be a good idea.

"Yeah." Chad agreed appearing at Orihime's side. Ichigo landed on the ground and completed the little circle of friends.

"Who was he?" Renji suddenly asked, reminding Rukia, Ichigo, and Orihime that he, Uryu, and Chad had never met the former Espada and only knew what they were told about him.

"Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. He was the former Sexta Espada under Aizen." Ichigo answered.

"I figured that out when Ichigo and Orihime repeatedly screamed his name. Honestly, two years and you didn't train your mind at all?" The Quincy commented causing the red-haired Soul Reaper to give him a glare. "Anyway…so Orihime, that was the guy who made you heal him two months ago, huh?"

"Um…yes." She replied softly. She was lost in thought.

"What did he want?" Chad asked Ichigo.

"He seemed to want a fight." The substitute responded.

"But that's not right…" Rukia said, claiming everyone's attention. "He saved Orihime. I doubt anyone, expecially an arrancar who hates you Ichigo, would come to fight you and just happen to help your friends in the process."

"I agree." Uryu added, his head nodding. "It seemed more like he was here for her."

"Actually…I did hear him say something about being even after saving Orihime." The flame-haired male turned to the one he was addressing. "What did he mean? Do you know?" Renji questioned and all attention turned onto the silent girl.

"I think it was for healing him that time. He'd been in pretty bad shape, and he also saved me in Los Noches." She said. With all of her friends around her prepared to judge the man, she suddenly wanted them to understand. "I don't think Grimmjow is bad. He helped me today a bunch of times."

"Wait…this wasn't the first time you'd seen him today?" Renji blurted out.

"Is that why you asked about us sensing anything at lunch?" Ichigo asked. Unable to verbally reply, Orihime nodded her head.

"Why didn't you tell us, Orihime?" Rukia asked, concerned for her best female friend.

"I first saw him last night on my way home from shopping. I thought I'd imagined him. Then on the way home from school today I was almost hit by a car and he pulled me out of the way." She didn't need to mention the other stuff.

"You still should have told us." Rukia said adamantly.

"I'm sorry." Orihime almost whispered. She hadn't thought about it earlier, but keeping him a secret was very selfish of her. The adolescent felt foolish and bowed her head so her hair could hide her shamed expression. Rukia sighed.

"It's okay, just know that we are here for you no matter what, okay?" The two girls smiled gently at each other.

"Okay!" Her chipper voice brought a smile to everyone's face. Somehow, she always made happiness contagious.

"Well anyway, it's been a long night, I would suggest we all head home." Ichigo suddenly said, bringing a series of mumbled agreements.

"Wait. Something still doesn't sit right." The Quincy said, his hand touching his chin in a thoughtful pose.

"What do you mean, Uryu?" the Substitute Soul Reaper questioned as he brushed hair from his eyes.

"I mean…doesn't anyone else see how odd it is for an arrancar, who is a known enemy, to willingly to repay a debt. Plus, earlier he was holding back when you had Orihime with you. In fact, was it not him who suggested you remove her from the danger zone. I would have thought that he would take advantage of such a handicap."

"Grimmjow's always been like that." Ichigo stated simply. He hadn't thought anything of it.

"Yes!" Orihime chipped. "That's also why I think he's not all bad."

"No…I think he may have a point…" Now Rukia was in "the-thinking-pose".

"What do you mean, Rukia?" Renji asked, even though he wanted to return to the Urahara shop; he was tired and wanted to rest.

"Did you all forget about him leaving the way he did? I think things are a bit more complicated then it being 'just the way he is'. I think that he may actually like Orihime."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…L-Like m-me! No way!" Orihime gasped and shook her head. She was the only one able to speak, even if it was just barely. Between her deep blushes, stutters, and doubts, the girl wished Rukia was right. If Rukia said it, then it must be possible!

Meanwhile, others had a very different reaction. For instance, Renji reached over to feel Rukia's temperature and Ichigo laughed nervously while Chad was silent and Uryu quietly considered the suggestion.

"I don't have a fever, stupid! I'm serious. Orihime, I don't see why it isn't possible. I mean, arrancar or not, he is still a guy and you're not exactly unpopular."

"(GASP) I'm popular?" The girl's reaction was quite humorous. The ice-using Soul Reaper shook her head before continuing.

"Anyway, I didn't say it was in a romantic way. He could just not hate her."

"_That_ seems way more plausible." Ichigo said, rather relieved that the awkward situation was calming.

"I don't even know the guy, but I agree." Renji added.

"Still…" Rukia said, leaving her thoughts open; everyone knew what she was saying.

"A destructive yet honorable arrancar in love with an innocent human." Chad said, bringing a mass of surprised looks to be directed at him.  
>"It would be like a tragic tale of star-crossed lovers!" Orihime looked positively delighted.<p>

"I think she forgot that the tragic tale would include her." Renji whispered to Ichigo who just nodded.

After that, the group split up to head home. Orihime watched Ichigo rush off first, telling Rukia he had to do something, so she should go to the Kurosaki clinic without him; Uryu left quietly, as did Chad. Renji ran off mumbling about having to work the next day. The girls separated with a reassuring hug before the orange-haired beauty finally turned to her home.

She loved Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez; if he could actually have some form of regard for her, no matter how minimal, it would be great. It didn't hurt to dream after all.

* * *

><p>Grimmjow quietly crouched on a ledge not too far from where the small group scattered from. They were still within his range of vision; though he couldn't hear what they were saying, he had an inkling that it was about him and how Orihime was associated to his sudden retreat.<p>

Slowly he straightened, his eyes still focused on the bright-haired girl as she slowly left the park. He stretched his muscles and scowled some more, debating what he should do for the rest of the night since he didn't want to follow her home; there was no need since his debt was fully paid. He was about to leave the area before someone realized he was still around, when an insultingly friendly sounding voice called out to him.

"Hey Grimmjow!" The little bastard Soul Reaper yelled as he skidded to a halt in front of the arrancar. His zanpakuto was strapped to his back, so it was evident that he wasn't trying to continue the fight.

"What? You that eager to die?" Grimmjow growled out, his hand itching to draw his weapon.

"I just wanted tell you that I'll kill you if you hurt her...or any of my friends." Ichigo replied just as threateningly, though a sharper edge to his tone. For a brief moment Grimmjow stared at the young man before him before responding.

"What the hell are you on about? I'll kill who I want." He finally snapped back. The younger man was not deterred though; he saw something odd in the arrancar's eyes. The man who was a monster, a creature who thrived on destruction, looked at peace. Even though their verbal exchange was less than friendly, he was calm and not nearly as angry as the Substitute Soul Reaper was used to.

"You seem different." Ichigo observed and Grimmjow snorted in response.

"Waste of time…I'll be back to carve you to pieces later." He turned to leave again, but once more his rival called for his attention. This time though, his meaning was unmistakable.

"Are you in love with Orihime?" It would have been better if Grimmjow reacted quicker, but shock prevented him. He had a three-second inner debate over whether he should attack the boy for asking something so ridiculous or laugh it off. He decided to go with the latter.

The feline arrancar's head fell back and his teeth flashed under the moonlight as his laughter shook the night. It was over just as quickly as it started.

"That has to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Are you that stupid, Kurosaki?" He chuckled, his signature cocky smirk plastered onto his face.

"You're the one acting weird; I'm just looking out for Orihime. Besides, I wasn't my idea; Rukia is the one who suggested it." Ichigo stated before Grimmjow could comment on how stupid the thought was again. Personally, he didn't think it was possible to begin with, but it didn't hurt to check.

The former Espada frowned, knowing that his odd behavior was quite radical; even after everything that had happened over the two years since he and Ichigo had last met it could be considered an unexpected change. Now he wondered…could it actually be possible…?

Holding back a sigh, he ran a hand through his blue hair before turning his back on the boy.

"It's a lie." He stated before using sonido to get out of there before the bastard could say anything else to hold him from his destination (wherever it may be). He left Ichigo Kurosaki stumped by his final words, but none of it mattered, because Grimmjow's own thoughts were even more insane.

There was no way; she was just a human girl that sparked his interest and earned his respect. He was simply intrigued by her god-like power and found her undeserving of a brutal death by his hand. Sure she was physically appealing (understatement) and yeah, he did have a bit of a soft spot for her innocence, but that didn't mean he actually gave a damn about her. Caring…regard…love…it wasn't possible. Him admitting such a stupid thing would be a lie.

It was not long until Grimmjow was standing over Karakura Town near to where he'd arrived the night before; he stared up at the partial moon above him with a blank expression that masked his rapid thoughts. Without realizing he was doing it until it was too late, he took note of Orihime's spiritual pressure as she returned to her home and made sure she was still safe. Upon realization of what he'd unconsciously done, Grimmjow swore under his breath.

Once more she'd made the impossible possible. The lie would follow him forever.

He loved her. Shit.

19


	3. Life's Simple Balance

_Sorry for taking so long, but here it is…the final part of this story. I thought long and hard on how it should end and I hope you are as happy with it as I am. I really like this pairing; it is so crazy that for love to grow between them, I figure it would come quickly. The problem would be them actually doing something about it. Anyway, thank you to everyone who read my story and an extra huge thank you to everyone who bothered to review. Oh! And I will also try to respond to every review sent to me from now on. Thanks again for reading! So long!_

_**Life's Simple Balance**_

_Inspired By: Tite Kubo's "Bleach"_

Everyone knew he was in town; how could they not? The arrancar was doing nothing to hide his presence. For some, namely Orihime Inoue, he was not a problem; for others though, such as any Soul Reaper in the World of the Living and all their allies, he left them worried and confused. For the month in which he'd been in Karakura Town, he had yet to cause any real trouble; he basically beat up lesser hollows and was rarely seen…even by the gentle girl he was believed to have a soft spot for. It was his massive spirit pressure that gave him away since he wasn't bothering to try hiding it. To merely add more cause for worry, he only seemed to be increasing in strength.

* * *

><p>For the first time in his existence, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez was living quietly...or at least, as quietly as an arrancar could. For the past few weeks expecially, he didn't go out of his way for a fight or purposely piss anyone off. He took care of a few hollows that stupidly entered the part of town he considered his territory, but refrained from doing anything more than that. He spent most of his time lounging on a rooftop near a certain orange-haired beauty's apartment, listening to her go about her business. He kept telling himself it was curiosity that made her so special to him, but in truth he was beginning to find her enthusiastically animated conversations with herself humorous and her determination to live a fulfilled life admirable. Sometimes, she would have amazingly detailed dialogues about just about anything when she was alone in her small apartment; he figured it meant she was lonely. Poor little dumb ding-bat.<p>

He could sit and stare at the sky for hours as she verbally argued with herself about what she should have for dinner and never get annoyed or bored. He was used to her now, so her odd personality and tastes didn't faze him the slightest. In fact, Grimmjow found himself extremely content with the way things were; for the first time he was somewhat at peace and still had the advantage of driving Kurosaki crazy in the process. Now all he had to do was wait for something to happen and mess everything up.

* * *

><p>Orihime stuffed the last of her homemade mustard and cheese stuffed garlic mushroom into her open mouth and sighed in satisfaction.<p>

"Oh, that's so good." She smiled to herself before gathering up her dishes. "Time to clean up…" She muttered. "I guess I should also do my homework now…maybe I can call Tatsuki and ask if she wants to come over so we could work together!" The girl bounced happily in mid-step at the idea, but then she remembered that her dear friend was away for a competition and her spirits fell. "Oh yeah…"

She silently hand-washed the dishes in her sink before gently drying them off and putting them away. Five minutes later she was sitting at her table with her books and some paper placed before her. Pencil in hand, she silently studied, pausing only to scribble answers down every so often. After working for a good hour, she glanced at a nearby clock; she frowned when she noticed that it was already almost ten o'clock. She'd come home later than usual because of school duties and also ate a late diner so it was no surprise, but she still wished she had more time in a day. If only she had time to have fun outside of school as well as in. She also still had to think about what she would do when she graduated; the time was coming soon when she would never laugh with her friends in that classroom again.

The sad thought triggered a small tear to escape and slide down her cheek as loneliness filled her even more.

"What the hell is wrong with you now?" An annoyed yet wonderfully familiar voice demanded. Upon realization of her visitor's identity, all loneliness evaporated to make room for her rising joy. The girl quickly turned in her spot to look at him as he leaned against the sill of the window he'd entered through, her sunny-orange hair swaying around her as their eyes met.

Grimmjow was sure that Orihime had been crying; he'd smelled the salt and heard her sniff, so he was positive of what he would find. For some reason, the notion made him want to pay her a visit, so he got up from his spot on the roof next door to her building. He expected her to have a sad, lonely expression, yet, when the girl turned to look at him, she did not. She had the biggest, most idiotic, and happiest grin on her face. Her eyes shone brightly and their wetness only made them brighter.

"What can I do for you, Grimmjow?" She asked in the most tender and loving way. Dammit. Grimmjow didn't think a stupid visit would be this difficult; how was he supposed to respond to a freaking greeting like _that_?

* * *

><p>Orihime couldn't believe it. When the former Sexta Espada arrived in her apartment the night before, she had no idea he would end up spending the rest of the night sleeping on her couch. She didn't even know he, as an arrancar, could sleep! After thinking about it, she supposed her unspoken query was silly considering how the Soul Reapers did; why wouldn't he sleep as well?<p>

Anyway, Grimmjow was quick to settle down after the first minute of his arrival; when she discovered his presence and greeted him, he froze up for a few seconds, but quickly snapped out of it. A low noise that sounded very much like a growl rumbled from his throat; suddenly his head turned so he stared at the wall of her apartment instead. He mumbled something about needing a place to spend the night, crossed the room before she could reply, and flopped down on the sofa. The piece of furniture groaned in protest of the sudden weight of the male, but remained strong. Orihime was glad since it was not new and was also a gift from a kind neighbor. A woman who lived down the hall a bit had been buying a new one and asked if she would like the old one. Naturally, Orihime was very happy to receive such a thing considering she normally couldn't afford anything like it. She still used a futon at night since a bed would be way too expensive, though she always dreamed of having a big, princess one.

With Grimmjow silent and giving off an annoyed vibe, even she could see that he wanted her to pretend he wasn't there so he could do likewise. Orihime didn't mind though; she could feel his presence nearby which calmed her and placed a smile on her face as she finished her homework.

Once done, she glanced at the arrancar and gently bit her lip as she decided whether she should risk bringing him a blanket. Deciding to fetch one and place it nearby in case he decided he wanted to snuggle under its warmth, she headed to a small closet and pulled the largest one out; he was a big guy so a small blanket just wouldn't do. She quietly placed it down next to the sofa, then headed to the bathroom to get ready for bed herself. Feeling tired, yet refreshed, she came out fifteen minutes later and put her futon out.

"Good night, Grimmjow." She said, but there was no reply so she thought he might have fallen asleep already. Snuggled under her own blanket, Orihime was asleep within five minutes.

* * *

><p>She'd figured that he would have left early in the morning before she'd woken up, but he had not. When she awoke, the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was his broad back still lounging on the couch through the hall separating them. She smiled, yawned, stretched, and sat up, her eyes still on him as if to make sure he wasn't an illusion. He wasn't. Immediately, the girl associated him with a knight standing guard over a princess while she slept and happiness surged through her.<p>

In truth, she was in love with Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez; she had been for a while. Any idea about him having actually feelings for her back made her heart race. She'd heard that Rukia and some others believed that Grimmjow was staying in Karakura Town because he liked her; she wasn't sure if she should take the theory too seriously, though she wanted to dearly. Ichigo was also a little iffy about it; whenever he thought about it, he would shake his head and frown. In fact, all her friends except Rukia reacted in a similar fashion; except Tatsuki who didn't know Grimmjow. Orihime wondered what Rangiku would say on the subject; they had a sisterly bond that made the human girl look up to the beautiful and flamboyant Lieutenant of Squad Ten, but they hadn't seen each other in a long time.

Glancing at the clock only to see that she was running late and needed to get ready for school, she let out a surprised squeak and jumped to her feet. She scrambled around collecting the things she would need before hurrying into the bathroom and preparing for her day. She was still brushing her hair when she emerged fully dressed in her uniform and had her toothbrush shoved in her mouth. She would have to wait for lunch to eat; it would be torture, but there was no time to make breakfast. One thing made her pause in her decision though: Grimmjow. She couldn't just leave him alone like that; what if he got hungry?

Orihime continued to do her hair and peered down the hall toward the sofa only to find it empty. She hurried out to see if he was in the kitchen, but he was not. The window was open though; he had left. She couldn't hold in the long, sad sigh that escaped. "Good bye, Grimmjow. Have a nice day…" She muttered softly as she stared out into the early morning sky, wondering where he had gone. Remembering how short of time she was, she let out an alarmed squeak before rushing off to finished getting ready.

* * *

><p>Grimmjow had left the girl's home as soon as she disappeared into the bathroom. He'd spent the night resting quietly, listening to her slow breathing as she slumbered since sleep for him was out of the question; he just couldn't relax. He'd been so focused on the sound that he ended up staying awake the entire night.<p>

He slipped through the same window he'd entered in and did not stop his quick pace until he was halfway across town from her apartment. He stood a couple hundred feet over Karakura Town and stared down at the people slowly beginning their day. The morning was chilly and he could smell dampness in the air that indicated the approach of rain. At the moment, the sky he occupied was just cloudy and slightly windy.

After a moment of watching the people so far below for a moment, he glanced back the way he'd come, a scowl twisting his mouth. He should have left sooner; now she was going to go to that school of hers and spread rumors about how he was going soft or something of the like. _That_ was the last thing he needed.

Grimmjow had long ago decided, though some people insisted in thinking otherwise, that he had no special emotions for the girl; he simply liked her (but not in any special way). When the notion was first presented to him, he'd flat out refused it. Then, for a minute after thinking about it, he worried that it could be true after all; luckily he'd quickly come to his senses and realized that him having feelings for the girl couldn't be true; he was a hollow and hollows did not fall in love. Let the foolish Soul Reapers say what they wanted to about why he stuck around; personally, he refused to go down without a fight. If his enemy said it, then obviously it wasn't accurate. Besides, according to Kurosaki, it was the little dark-haired Soul Reaper who'd come up with the theory in the first place, so the possibility dropped even more.

Satisfied with his conclusion, Grimmjow turned and was about to go hunting for lesser hollows to tear to pieces, but a sudden and sickeningly familiar presence appeared nearby and he halted. The spiritual pressure he sensed was one he knew quite well; he'd spent two years locked away while the person it belonged to performed test after damn test as if he was some sort of lab rat. He'd sworn to get his revenge on the asshole, but had held it off for as long as he could since brutally murdering the Captain of the Twelfth Division of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads would only make every Soul Reaper even more bent on eliminating him.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi had only just arrived from the Soul Society and was not bothering to hold his spiritual pressure in at all; Grimmjow figured that the freak was probably thinking he would run in without thinking about anything other than revenge and would fall for any trap the freak had in mind. There was three other Soul Reapers who'd arrived with him, but the former Espada did not worry about them. He knew how to be patient, even if he _really_ didn't enjoy a second of it. He would wait for the perfect moment to attack and take the Captain's head. He wasn't reckless enough to think that he could take on the whole Soul Society; after having his revenge though, he would have to leave Karakura Town and return to Hueco Mundo. The possibility to ever returning to the Human World would be extremely low; ever seeing the Orihime again would be even lower…It wasn't a happy idea. His visits with the nitwit were entertaining and peaceful. Damn it, perhaps he did like her more than he wanted to admit…

Grimmjow was about to have his inner debate again when he realized that the clown Soul Reaper was near to Orihime's apartment. In fact, judging by the location of his spiritual pressure, he and his buddies were in the direct vicinity of his girl's home! Damn it! The arrancar's spiritual pressure flared with his anger. His control was much better than when he'd first arrived, but his need to destroy something was too great to concentrate on reining it in. They were probably paying her a visit because of her connection with him! Damn, damn, damn it! He wouldn't allow that fucking bastard to be anywhere near her!

Grimmjow was flying back to the small apartment with a cold fury lighting his deep blue gaze. If that asshole touched a hair on her head, he really would kill him!

* * *

><p>Orihime was actually quite shocked when she opened her front door and found Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya, Lieutenant Rangiku Mastumoto, Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi, and Lieutenant Nemu Kurotsuchi standing there. She had been distracted as she gathered up her bag and had not sensed their arrival in the World of the Living until she saw them.<p>

"Rangiku! Captain!" She declared happily and dove at them for a hug. The busty female welcomed the show of affection and returned it with rivaling enthusiasm while the child-Captain unsuccessfully attempted to dodge the human.

"Hey!" He said angrily, though he wasn't truly annoyed.

"Orihime!" Rangiku sang happily and she squeezed the smaller female back. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too!" The girl chimed excitedly. They clasped hands and grinned at each other.

"How are things? I haven't talked with you in ages!" The older one asked excitedly.

"I'm great! I'm doing well in school and everyone's fine…oh! And I haven't seen any hollows around lately. I'm so happy to see you, Rangiku. You too Captain!" Orihime continued to smile, but its brightness dulled slightly when she noticed the boy's serious expression and the increasingly agitated one on the Captain of Squad Twelve's face. "So…how can I help you?" She asked politely, even though she worried about the answer she would get.

"Actually, the matter we need to discuss essentially relates to the lack of hollows in your area. We're here to ask you about the former Sexta Espada Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez." Hitsugaya's cool aqua eyes connected with the girl's warm gray ones and she felt her face pale. She forced her smile to stay up despite the concern that filled her. She glanced at the other Captain to find him donning a bored expression, though his gaze gave away his practically-crazed curiosity. It was clear that he noticed her worry.

"What about him?" Orihime inquired softly, causing Rangiku to frown. "He hasn't done anything recently as far as I know."

"That, girl, is _very_ incorrect. The arrancar has done much since his arrival in Karakura Town last month." Kurotsuchi said, a wide smirk splitting over his face and revealing straight white teeth.

"He's been growing stronger." Hitsugaya finished, earning himself a glare from the other Captain.

"That's the simple way of putting it," The scientist snapped out, "but it doesn't quite cover the height of the issue. Nemu! Explain!" For the first time Orihime turned her attention to the pretty, quiet girl standing behind her superior and father.

"The arrancar's spiritual pressure has nearly tripled during his time in the World of the Living." She said in a calm, level tone.

"It is likely that the specimen-I mean, arrancar, is having a very unusual growth rate, or, even more likely, is consuming the almost-constantly arriving hollows in Karakura Town with the intent of increasing his power." Kurotsuchi interrupted her before his lieutenant could continue.

"Rukia Kuchiki believes that his staying in this area had something to do with his partiality to you, Orihime. It is the Soul Society's belief that that the theory of him staying near you is correct, but that it is only to devour all of the hollows that your powers attract to this vicinity." The silver-haired Soul Reaper said with upmost seriousness.

The seventeen year old girl wasn't sure how to respond; she didn't want to believe what any of them said, but she knew it was quite possible. She bit her lip as if she was trying to hold back tears, though she wasn't, and glanced at Rangiku. The older and wiser woman was silent; she understood that Orihime always wished the best of everyone…even when it went beyond common sense. The human girl looked down at her feet and released a soft sigh. She supposed she would just have to skip another day of school.

"Why don't you all come in…" Her voice was soft, but strong. "You would probably like to talk in a more comfortable place."

"Thank you for understanding." Rangiku said with a gentle smile as she walked past Orihime who'd stepped aside to allow entry. "Wow! You have a sofa! That's new!" The enthusiastic woman bounced toward the soft furniture and dropped herself onto it. Orihime couldn't help but find it weird that not even a half hour before, Grimmjow had been laying in that same spot…though not as wantonly.

She was about to close the door after Toshiro entered, but paused when she realized that neither of the Squad Twelve leaders had moved from where they stood. The boy-Captain noticed as well and turned back to face the scientist.

"Aren't you going to join us, Captain Kurotsuchi?" His tone didn't reveal a hint of inquiry, so it was impossible for Orihime to tell if his question truly needed an answer. He probably already knew the older male would not.

"No. I have more important things to do than explain the fundamentals of slaying hollows to humans, no matter how special they are."

"What do you have to do?" Said human asked curiously.

"He's probably going to set up some traps so he can catch Grimmjow alive." Rangiku's voice came from inside the apartment. Immediately the girl felt sick to her stomach; what did the mad man want with the feline arrancar? Did he plan to do more experiments on him? She could recall every wound she'd healed on Grimmjow months before in perfect detail; there was no way she could allow this! Before she could say anything to the Captain though, he was yelling at Hitsugaya to teach his subordinates how to keep their mouth shut. Then he left. Her protests were left to die at her lips, but she was not deterred completely. She spun to face her old friends with the intention of explaining a million reasons of why what they were doing was wrong, but forgot all about it when she saw how Rangiku was sitting up and looking very serious, though not as much as her Captain.

"We know what you're like and how kind you are, but he is an arrancar. A hollow. Don't grow comfortable to his presence." The young Captain said sternly.

"I'm sorry, but I can't see him as bad." Finally Orihime managed to argue. "Even when Aizen had me kidnapped, he saved me when I was getting beat up and took me to Ichigo so I could heal him. I don't know what would have happened if he hadn't, but it wouldn't have been good for us!" It was her sister figure who moved to answered her.

"Orihime-" The woman was cut off by the sound of knocking on the door though. Both females looked at the Captain who nodded to show that it was okay to let the newcomers in.

The human slowly turned and moved to her front door and within seconds had it unlocked and open. Orihime found herself face to face with her gang of friends, all curious and obviously skipping school as well. It was also obvious that they had run the whole way by their slightly labored breathing. It was Ichigo who spoke.

"Orihime…what's going on? Why are two Captains and Lieutenants here?"

* * *

><p>Grimmjow let out a long breath when he saw the bastard clown leave the apartment's vicinity with his tag-along. He had no worries about the two remaining Soul Reapers, expecially after the rest of the girl's groupies showed up. It was obvious that everyone noticed how he normally stayed near her and was now making an attempt to keep them apart. He knew he shouldn't care, but something inside of him demanded to look at her, to stare into her brilliant grey eyes, once more. Besides, the girl wasn't theirs to keep away from him anyway.<p>

No big deal…he wasn't up shit creek yet. He just had to get all of her friends away from her so he could talk to her...to say good bye before he'd have to retreat into Hueco Mundo. He needed a diversion…something to keep them all occupied…something noticeable and preferably annoying…Grimmjow grinned menacingly when he realized what would work best. He watched the apartment from his spot half a mile above a moment longer before opening a garganta and stepping through.

* * *

><p>Rukia and Renji explained how they had received word of the Captains coming, but had not had the chance to tell the others beforehand while Orihime sat in silence beside Rangiku. She felt comforted by the reassuring arm around her shoulders, but could only stare at her lap as she only partially listened. A large part of her had realized a month before when she'd recognized her love for him that the possibility of Grimmjow actually caring about her was close to nil, but another part kept looking back at that time when he'd kissed her after she had healed him. Not to mention how he occasionally visited from time to time and never once had he caused her any harm; surly it was possible that the Soul Society was wrong and he held <em>some<em> regard for her…even just a little? Or even for the town itself perhaps?

"Hey, Orihime…are you okay?" Uryu asked from his place leaning on the back of the sofa. After a moment, the girl turned her head and smile up at him earnestly.

"I fine. Thank you, Uryu." A slight blush dusted over his cheeks for a brief moment before he leaned back so he stood straight and pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

"N-no problem." He coughed before turning back to listen in to the conversation.

"Look, Ichigo…I've already explained it three times! Captain Kurotsuchi, Lieutenant Kurotsuchi, Rangiku, and I came to investigate Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez's presence and the reason behind his incredible growth. If he is in fact purposely devouring other hollows in order to increase his power, then the Soul Society can only assume that it is for a corrupt purpose and will be forced to take action and eliminate him." Captain Hitsugaya said, obviously growing irritated by the Substitute Soul Reaper.

"I get _that_ part, but why not just ask him?" Ichigo asked. The Captain could only sigh and roll his eyes. Only _he_ would ask such a thing.

"Because he is an arrancar and a former Espada, known to have attacked Karakura Town and grievously wounding Rukia." He replied. Hearing her name, the short, dark-haired girl shook her head, her eyes glancing toward Orihime.

"I lived. I have no grudge against him. In fact, I still stand by my theory that he likes Orihime."

"Well…the rest of the Soul Society is more inclined to believe he had ulterior motives for staying and increasing his strength." Rukia, only being a lieutenant, bowed her head respectfully when his aqua gaze landed on her. "The actions of anyone who served under Aizen can only be considered a threat. Even more importantly, this particular arrancar has a grudge against Soul Reapers beyond what came from the War thanks to Captain Kurotsuchi's…search for knowledge. You do all remember four months ago, correct? With all of this in mind, I can only conclude that he must be approached with extreme caution." A series of nods answered his question.

"W-what if he really is up t-to something…?" Orihime asked drawing all attention to her. No one had guessed about her feelings for the former Espada; they figured her concern was just her natural tender heart showing itself.

"Our orders are to capture him if possible; if not though…we are to terminate him." The ice user rubbed the back of his silver-haired head; he didn't look too happy with the options.

Orihime held back her gasp and managed to simply turn her face so it was buried against Rangiku's shoulder. When she thought about it, as horrible as them killing Grimmjow sounded, him being captured was even worse. The memory of his wounds flashed through her mind, causing her to bit her lip and squeeze her eyes shut in an attempt to block the images out. No one should suffer in such a way. She hoped everything would turn out okay in the end; perhaps if she spoke to Grimmjow, she could convince him into leaving for Hueco Mundo before it was too late…but how would she manage to get him alone to do so?

"We're going to need you guys if things turn ugly." Rangiku said. He voice vibrated around her throat, tickling the human girl's forehead. "For now though, we should just wait for Captain Kurotsuchi to return."

A silent agreement went through the small apartment and the group got comfortable for the wait.

* * *

><p>He was gone! The insufferable little insolent experiment! His spiritual pressure had vanished from the World of the Living! The only place an arrancar could flee was to Hueco Mundo, but surly such a proud specimen wouldn't turn tail so quickly. Perhaps he simply went to the hollow world in order to recruit assistance…Mayuri Kurotsuchi hoped so. It had taken three months to track the escaped specimen; by the time the Captain found him, the impertinent creature was reported by Rukia Kuchiki as behaving oddly, which brought up a series of questions and brought too much attention to him. The Head Captain had waited to send someone to investigate since he was sure that Kurosaki could handle the problem. Yet, for some reason, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez was still around. He was like a cat patrolling his territory, which seemed to include Orihime Inoue. Very interesting…the Captain's mind buzzed as he hoped that the specimen was caught alive, though if it was not possible, a dissection would do as well. The arrancar would return, and when he did, Kurotsuchi vowed to catch him then.<p>

* * *

><p>"Soooooo…Grimmjow. Will I really get to see Ichigo again?" An annoyingly chipper voice called from behind him for the millionth time. Squeezing his blue eyes shut, the former Sexta Espada, the once feared force of destruction in Hueco Mundo, wished the damn woman would just shut the hell up. Telling her to do so didn't work; when she was in her adult form, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck wasn't afraid of him which really complicated matters. Convincing her, the only other surviving Espada that he knew of, hadn't been easy…that is until he mentioned Ichigo being there. After that, she jumped on board with his plan instantly, even though he hadn't explained it yet. Of course, then her "brothers" had to tag along as well, despite their reluctance to leave the hollow world. Grimmjow decided to let them since they would only give the Soul Reapers more of a headache.<p>

The four arrancars where now going through the garganta with Grimmjow leading the way. He wondered if he could get Nel to cooperate until the end or if he would end up having to figure something else out.

Yo, Nel! Are you sure this is a good idea to go to the World of the Living?" Dondochakka Birstanne yelled in the softest voice he could, oddly thinking that the aggressive male leading the way wouldn't hear him.

"Y-yeah! Wouldn't it be better if we just go back to Hueco Mundo. We can play eternal tag again and I'm sure Ichigo will come to visit eventually." Pesche Guatiche said softly. "Besides, this guy is dangerous; he is bad news and your transformations are unpredictable. You can take him, but you can also turn back into a kid at any time!" Blue eyes narrowed slightly at the comment that compared his strength to the former Third Espada, but the arrancar decided to let it slide.

"No! I want to see Ichigo! It's been so long since I last saw him that I was beginning to wonder if he was dead! I have to punish him for not coming to visit me-I mean…us for two years!" The green-haired beauty bounced as she pumped her fists. Despite her adult body and returned memories, she had grown accustomed to behaving in a child-like manner so it came naturally now. "Now…Grimmjow! You wanted us to flare our spiritual pressures then wait, right? But won't that attract other Soul Reapers? I would rather just go looking for Ichigo."

"No. You're going to act as a distraction so I can do what I want to do. Once my path is clear, you'll be free to do whatever."

"What is it you're trying to do?" He knew she would ask.

"…" Grimmjow did not think it was any of Nel's business, but she apparently did. There was no time to fight over it, so he figured he should just come out and give her a very rough explanation. "I'm going to pay the little human girl a visit." After that he could take advantage to the scattered Soul Reapers and go after a certain bastard's head.

"…Human girl? Do you mean Orihime?" The female arrancar suddenly felt a sudden wave of protectiveness for Ichigo's kind friend wash through her. "I swear, if you hurt her in any way I will gut you like the pig you are!" She snarled out bringing gasps from her followers. Grimmjow answered with a smirk. "Answer me! What do you want her for!" The woman used sonido to block the male's path and grabbed him by the collar of his jacket. The feline arrancar was unfazed by her aggression and remained calm as he smoothly grabbed her wrist and, with strength far beyond what he had the last time Nel had seen him, pried her fingers from his person.

"I only want to talk with her, but to do so I need her alone. The rest is none of your business." With that he stepped around her and continued to make his way to the World of the Living.

"That is no way to ask for help." Pesche whispered to Dondochakka. The big-masked hollow nodded in agreement. "He should at least say please. All the Espada were like this after Nel left; no manners! Honestly!"

"We can go back to Hueco Mundo now." The lager sidekick suggested, but the woman shook her head.

"No…I think I will help him. Besides, I get to see Ichigo!" After finishing her statement, Nel followed after her fellow former Espada. She was surprised by how calmly Grimmjow had reacted. She was sure a fight would break out, but be had simply shrugged her off. She couldn't help wondering if perhaps Orihime had something to do with how passive he was now. It would certainly make things even more interesting.

Grimmjow paused as he stood over Karakura Town with the other three behind him. By the time he'd returned with his new momentary allies, it was early evening and hints of sunset were starting to reach across the sky. He growled slightly at the number of spiritual pressures he counted around his girl's home; apparently all of her friends were still gathered there having one of their special meetings.

Glancing over his shoulder at his temporary partners, the male arrancar said, "Now would be a good time to start drawing their attention." Nel smirked at him before letting her massive pressure flare as he suggested.

"What do you have to say?" She asked teasingly and Grimmjow frowned but decide it could be worse. At least she wasn't asking for a favor.

"Thanks." The proud arrancar managed to growl out. Noticing the now approaching spiritual pressures, he concealed his own quickly and turned to leave. "By the way, I would recommend that you do not let a certain clown Soul Reaper anywhere near you or those two if you see him." With that, he began to make his rapid route around the approaching group and to Orihime.

Orihime was feeling better as she listened to her friends discuss random topics ranging from Soul Society politics to school work since the Grimmjow subject was pretty worn out within a couple of hours. Captain Kurotsuchi had yet to return, so the boy Captain insisted that everyone remain until he did; as horrible as the man was, he was also the one setting up traps around town. Rukia pointed out to the slower-minded individuals that accidentally getting caught in one could only end extremely badly and that the best way to avoid such a thing was to know where the traps were. All in all, the whole day ended up being a bit of a waste.

The girl was still leaning against her sister-figure's shoulder with the dark-haired Soul Reaper on her other side. The three females calmly waited while the boys started to argue; Ichigo and Renji quarreled over something stupid while Uryu insisted that they were being ridiculous. Toshiro repeatedly told them to shut up while Chad watched and wondered what to do. Then they felt the spiritual pressure.

Ichigo recognized it, but couldn't place where he knew it from; it certainly didn't belong to Grimmjow. The substitute ran from the apartment before Uryu (who _did_ remember the pressure's owner) could say anything. The Quincy followed after him as did the quiet giant and the fiery red-head. The Captain told Rukia and Rangiku to stay with Orihime before heading out as well. As the Captain in charge of the mission, it was his duty to be there during the investigation. Though it would have been best if Ichigo, Uryu, and Chad had stayed put while Renji and him went alone, but it couldn't be helped. Everything had happened so quickly that the three girls were left rather dazed by the whole thing.

"Those idiots…don't any of them think?" The Lieutenant of Squad 13 sighed, exasperated.

"There are only three arrancars and two are super weak by the feel of it…My Captain and one other would have been enough, but they all ran off. So stupid." The lieutenant of Squad 10 agreed.

"At least they like to work together." Orihime commented, hoping to bring some sense of calm over the situation between them. Sudden distant shouting that could be vaguely recognized as coming from Ichigo and Renji could be heard causing the girl to blush slightly. "Sort of…" She added softly.

"Anyway, now that we're alone…I have something to ask you." Rangiku said as her arm around the human's shoulder tightened. "What's up with you and the arrancar-Grimmjow?" She questioned suggestively.

"Are you asking because you agree with me?" Rukia asked leaning forward to see the older woman better around the blushing girl in the middle.

"Let's just say I'm a romantic. So spill, Orihime; why do you care so much for him?"

"Um…uh…well…um…" The innocent seventeen year old stuttered awkwardly. "Um…well…I don't…uh…"

"It's okay, Orihime." said the smaller Soul Reaper, gently patting her friends shoulder. "You don't have to answer."

"Yes she does! Mutual attraction is very important in a relationship."

"But they don't have a relationship! I think Grimmjow only likes her; you know…doesn't feel the need to kill her. Not like _that_!" At least she hoped it wasn't like _that_. She wouldn't know what to do if it was like _that_.

"Well, that's no fun!" Rangiku blurted out in a huff. She turned to Orihime and stared intently at the girl. "Has he kissed you or gave you the feeling that he wanted to? That's the best way to know if he likes-likes you." Rukia rolled her eyes and commented first.

"There is no way. Orihime would never…" but her voice died off as she and her fellow lieutenant noticed their friend's blush spread from her cheeks, over her face and to her neck. Orihime stared at her feet, not knowing what to say as she had yet another flash back to four months before. "Orihime? Really?" The snow and ice wielder was beyond shocked. "No way…"

"Oh my gosh! So he did kiss you? Or did he do or say something to you?" Rangiku was having a field day. He face split into a grin and she wiggled in anticipation. Since her own love life was put on a temporary hold for a while due to personal reasons, she was forced to get her kicks in less direct ways.

"…he…he kissed…" The girl blushed beat red and couldn't seem to take her eyes off of her sock-covered toes. "…kissed…me…" She looked as if she was on the brink of fainting. Rukia immediately hugged her friend, thinking that her struggle to admit such a thing was due to the experience being upsetting.

"When?" The boisterous woman leaned forward so she was inches from Orihime's face.

"After I healed him four months ago…when he was leaving…"

"And you kept this secret all this time? Has he…done anything since then?" Rukia asked.

"No. He comes by occasionally and listens to me talk or watches me cook and clean, but doesn't stay long. Last night he slept on the couch though. I didn't want to upset anyone and I was afraid to tell because I worried that it would cause trouble..." The girl glanced up to look at the two before her.

"Oh stop that." Rangiku scolded gently. "The day kissing is a crime in my book is the day I become a man." She leaned back as she spoke, folded her arms, and winked. The two other girls giggled slightly at her comment before Orihime bit her lip in thought. Then she decided that if she was telling her friends important things, then she might as well confess even her feelings as well.

"Rukia…Rangiku…" She said softly, bringing the two female's attention back to her.

"Yes?" The vivacious Soul Reaper inquired.

"What is it, Orihime?" The petite one tilted her head signaling that she was listening. Meanwhile, the girl was trying to think about how she should say it; perhaps being frank would be best.

"T-To be honest…I-I _do_ like him…I think I love him…When he is around…I feel happy…" Almost in unison, the two older girls' eyes widened slightly…but then they relaxed again. Gentle smiles crawled onto their faces as they observed the nervous sincerity expressed in Orihime's wide grey eyes. Though in their heads there would never be a man good enough for the sweet girl, expecially an arrancar who served under Aizen, her countenance was so adorable that they couldn't help but be stirred by the confession.

"Seriously?" Grimmjow's vaguely surprised tone was new to the ears of the two female Soul Reapers, who jumped to their feet and drew their zanpakuto the instant they noticed the arrancar slip effortlessly through Orihime's open window. "Well, that makes things easier." Orihime gasped at the sight of him.

"Oh no! Please don't fight!" She was on her feet in a second and looking between the two sides. "Grimmjow, you have to go; Captain Kurotsuchi and-"

"I know. Just wanted to let you know I would be leaving soon is all." He paused and glared at the two females in battle stances. "Hey! You two better scram."

"Do you think we're that stupid?" Rukia's violet eyes narrowed, but the male only smirked.

"If I came to start something, you would all be dead already." He said cheekily.

The dark-haired lieutenant visibly stiffened as she wondered what such a sweet girl could see in the brute. Rangiku on the other hand, though she didn't like the former Espada's brash words, couldn't help but think of Gin; he didn't express himself well either. Now that she thought about it…many men she knew didn't.

"Rukia…let's step out for a moment." She said in a strong voice and her fellow lieutenant's jaw dropped and the human gasped in surprise and gratification.

"W-what?"

"Just for a minute. I hope you talk fast, arrancar. You have _one_ minute." She made a motion that she had her eye on him in case of any funny business, then dragged her disagreeing companion to the door of the apartment; they left it open in inch.

Grimmjow was surprised that the two women had left so easily, but quickly shoved it aside so he could focus on the matter at hand. He turned to look at the girl who was staring in the direction her friends left in. Her hands were clasped before her and she was nibbling at her bottom lip again, making him think about what he'd just heard her admit to her friends. Slowly he stepped forward; her eyes darted to him at the first sign that he was moving and widened slightly as she remembered the lurking danger waiting to come and get him.

"Oh! Grimmjow! You can't stay; Captain Kurotsuchi can come back any time now. You can't fight him! The whole Soul Society is just waiting for you to do something! If you go to Hueco Mundo now, you can get away-"

She cut off when she noticed that he was standing very close now; if she leaned forward even an inch, her nose would touch his chest. He was so tall; it was something she'd noticed long ago when she first stood next to him as she healed his arm. His blue eyes were so intense, hinting at the power he had; his physical strength alone was enough to snap someone in two. His spicy scent met her senses just as he leaned down and captured her lips with his own in a single, swift move.

Immediately her thoughts went haywire and her body froze instinctively. When she felt his hands cup her face almost gently (which meant he was putting some effort into not hurting her), she relaxed a little and she leaned into him as the kiss deepened.

Orihime wasn't sure how long they continued, but surly it wasn't a minute considering how no one burst through the front door. Her eyes had drifted closed at some point and her hands timidly lifted to rest on his shoulders. His mask fragment scrapped against her cheek, but the girl didn't mind in the least; the white bone-like jaw piece was so smooth that it went practically unnoticed as the two figures leaned into each other. The sole thought that found its way into the human's head when a low growl rumbled from her partner's throat was that the kiss was better than her first.

However, it also ended just as abruptly as the first. Grimmjow suddenly pulled away, though his hands only fell to rest on her arms. Her delicate human heart continued to beat rapidly, threatening to escape from her chest. He could hear the quick thumping with his keen hearing; it reminded him that no matter how amazing her power was, she was still mortal.

When she felt herself calm a little, Orihime sighed softly in a daze. Her eyelids hung heavy as they fluttered open and she looked up to meet his heated blue gaze. "Grimmjow?" She questioned, not really sure about what to do next.

She was a sight to behold; her large grey eyes were almost smoky with emotion, her cheeks were flushed, and her lips were slightly apart. Her soft sunset locks swayed with her body, informing him that she was still in slight shock and was having a bit of a problem with balance. Grimmjow had never before wanted to keep her with him as much as he did then.

Who was he kidding? What may have started out as a curiosity had long ago become an obsession.

"Come with me." The words left his mouth before he even considered what he was saying. "I'll have my revenge on the twelfth Captain then we can go to Hueco Mundo; I'll protect you." His words snapped her out of her bewilderment. Her mouth opened and closed as she searched for the correct response. In truth, as long as she could return to visit her friends occasionally, she wouldn't mind following him anywhere; her only problem with his offer was his plot for retribution. If he went through with it, he would be in even more trouble.

"Don't do it." She said the moment she made up her mind. He leaned back slightly at her words, obviously puzzled by her reply. "Can't you just forget about revenge?" She continued pleadingly and he understood what she had meant.

"What?" He pulled further away from her, his hands falling from her altogether and his eyes narrowed. He should have known she would answer that way; he'd been around her so much lately that he knew her almost as well as he knew himself. Grimmjow mentally swore at how stupid he was for not knowing she would never want to leave her wonderful life…he couldn't blame her though. He wouldn't give up a reasonably happy and peaceful existence just to hang out with him either.

"I-I know that what he did was horrible and unforgivable, but if you don't let go, something even worse might happen to you! You're not the only one who was wronged by him; Uryu is also angry over something he did. I don't know all of the details but I know that you are not alone in this! P-please! J-just, forget about him…a-and stay…with me." Orihime couldn't stop herself from stuttering and pausing mid-sentence as she spoke. Grimmjow's stare was making her uncomfortable; it was like he was trying to figure out what was going on inside of her head to make her think the way she did.

"Stay?" His voice was flat. No matter how nutty he knew her to be, he still had trouble believing that she would think such a thing. He was being hunted; if he didn't leave, he would basically be leaving his fate in the hands of the Soul Reapers and that was one thing certainly did not want to do.

Orihime realized her mistake after a moment; she'd accidentally asked him to stay with her instead of agreeing to go with him. Though she would prefer for things to stay similar to what they have been for the past month, she would give up her life to follow him. The problem was whether anyone else would. Everyone (namely Ichigo and company) would probably assume that she was kidnapped and hurry to the rescue. However, if they managed to convince the Soul Society to let Grimmjow stay, then everything would be much easier. Perhaps her accidental plea had a point…

"Toshiro-I mean…Captain Hitsugaya said that he was sent here because the Soul Society didn't know why you were in Karakura Town or why your spiritual pressure is growing stronger. If you explain-"

"I'm a hollow and they're Soul Reapers; as if they would listen! Besides, it is in our natures to fight one another." The former Espada spat out, interrupting her.

"Captain Hitsugaya is in charge of this mission and he and Rangiku _would_ listen and convince others too! There are others in the Soul Society who wouldn't condemn you without giving you a chance as well! My friends will also help!"

"I don't want their help!" He snarled out, clearly irritated over the very idea. His elevated tone, which could be taken as hostile, brought the two Soul Reapers back into the apartment. They burst through the door with their swords drawn and fell into combat stances, prepared to step up in case he attacked; he was an arrancar who was known for his violent nature so it was only natural for them to be cautious.

"Don't speak to Orihime that way!" Rukia ordered in the most authoritative manner she could manage as she pointed her zanpakuto at him.

"Time's up; we gave you four minutes. It's time to go now." Rangiku added and the arrancar answered them with an icy glare. Orihime hadn't been intimidated in the slightest by the male's rising temper and continued in her attempt to convince him. She ignored the two women and stayed focused on Grimmjow; to bring his attention back to herself, she grabbed his arm and tugged slightly.

"I will follow you anywhere." She swore out of the blue and the he looked at her with surprise. He hadn't expected her to say such a thing at that time…expecially considering how much she would have to give up if she truly meant her words. Rukia and Rangiku were utterly shocked; the ice user blushed at the earnest confession while the elder Soul Reaper felt her heart melt; there was nothing like a classic forbidden love. "My friends are precious to me…they are my family and will always be…" She continued and Grimmjow felt as if his guts twisted inside of him. Orihime wasn't finished though. "…But somewhere during the past few months…you've become so important to me that I can't help but always choose you."

Rukia couldn't believe it. Her dear friend, the sweet, loyal, kind, and gentle human girl was confessing her devotion to the most violent, narcissistic, blood-thirsty, and short-tempered arrancar she'd ever met. They were complete opposites! Not just that though, she was also saying she would abandon everyone who cared for her to run away to Hueco Mundo with him! Things were happening _way_ to fast!

"Orihime, you don't mean that! He hasn't even-!" The Squad thirteen lieutenant began, but was silenced when a smooth hand clamped down over her mouth.

"Shush, Rukia." Rangiku instructed her in a hushed voice. "It takes time for some to process stuff of that magnitude."

"But Rangiku-!"

"Just watch for another minute."

The two sets of eyes focused on the couple who were completely ignoring their observers once more. Grimmjow was at a loss for words; for the second time in twenty-four hours he had no idea of how to respond. He'd covered it up before by making an excuse of being tired. He couldn't do it this time though. The arrancar could only watch as the girl…_his_ girl…turned red in the face with embarrassment. Her cloudy grey eyes remained locked with his brilliant blue ones as she waited for…_some_ kind of reply, and he couldn't help but notice tears welling up in the corners. She was probably thinking that his lack of a response indicated him not feeling the same way. To be honest, he wasn't sure at that point whether he did or not; for as long as he could remember, all he'd felt was anger, hate, excitement, and self-satisfaction. Happiness was new to him just as tranquility was a month before.

When a salty drop escaped the trap of her lashes to slide down her face, his hand automatically snapped up to brush it from her soft cheek with his thumb. The moment he performed the action, the small human dove at him; her arms wrapped around his torso in a desperate hug that left him rather baffled. What was he supposed to do? As a creature known for heartlessness, expressing emotions was just as difficult as interpreting them, if not more so.

He felt her small hands tighten on the back of his jacket and instinctively his arms lifted to rest awkwardly around her seemingly tiny form. One wrapped around her waist while the other ended up behind her back so his hand cradled the back of her head; his fingers immersed into her tresses and he found himself smiling. The moment Orihime snuggled her face into the base of his neck he felt as if he just actually might start purring in contentment like his distant feline cousins. He found that her soft form pressed against his sturdy one was actually quite nice. Even though he didn't know for sure, it felt right.

Orihime wasn't sure if hugging him was the best thing she could have done, but his almost tender gesture of wiping her tears away had made her so happy that she couldn't help herself. He didn't push her away, so she decided that she could stay where she was and enjoy snuggling into his warmth a little longer; her hands clenched around fistfuls of his jacket and she let out low breath of contentment. But then he hugged her back; immediately her heart skipped a beat and she felt a new wave of happiness sweep over her.

"…Um…" Rukia uttered, her gaze averted to the side and her face became a bright shade of crimson. "M-maybe we should…um…give them some space…" She suggested softly and Rangiku frowned at her for a moment before a grin split across her lips.

"What's wrong? A minute before you were refusing to leave the room." The busty woman teased in a low voice so she wouldn't be noticed by the couple. "They're only hugging." She sniggered.

"Um…Yeah…well…um…ah…we…um… we must be bothering them so…ah…I think I'll just step out…" Rukia stuttered out as she made a hasty exit from the apartment. Rangiku chuckled at the shy girl as she followed her from the room. "Better yet, things look like there under control, so why don't we head over to Ichigo, Captain Hitsugaya, and the others." She called; she wanted to get out of the uncomfortable setting as soon as possible.

"Go ahead, but I'm staying here. Just in case I'm needed." The lieutenant of Squad Ten responded as she stopped just outside and leaned lazily against the doorframe. She wasn't worried though since it looked as if the arrancar would cooperate as long as Orihime was around. The mission would most likely end on a good note, which she was glad about. In a way, if Orihime and Grimmjow found happiness, Rangiku saw it as a way to make up for her and Gin failing.

Inside of the apartment, the couple were slowly pulling apart, both looking as awkward as they felt. With about a foot between them now, the two remained silent and seemed to suddenly find the floor and walls very interesting. Grimmjow stared down at his hands as if shocked that he had used them to do something other than rip his foes into pieces while Orihime clasped her own behind her back and tried not to think about how Rangiku and Rukia had seen and heard everything. Her innocent mind buzzed with how giddy being around the man made her feel.

Grimmjow snapped back to reality first. He knew for a fact that he couldn't leave her behind…but Hueco Mundo was no place for a human and, even more importantly, making her choose him over her friends would only hurt her. While considering how freaking abnormal it was for him to be thinking about another's feelings (or his own for that matter; normally he simply did what his instincts told him to do), he glanced at the girl before him and let out a snort of amusement at her dazed expression. She always managed to amuse him at the oddest of times.

"I guess I don't really have a choice." He grumbled, though his mood was actually extremely good. His words caught her attention and brought a shy smile to her lips. She knew he was referring to giving up on revenge and staying with her in Karakura Town.

The moment lasted for another second before the sound of Rangiku shouting in the hall was heard.

"Captain Kurotsuchi, everything's under control! Please, we need to wait for my Captain-" She cried out, but she was interrupted. An obviously angry voice snapped for her to get out of his way or he'd make her regret getting in it before instructing Nemu to hold her fellow lieutenant back. Then the furious scientist appeared in the doorway to the Inoue home and stood with his zanpakuto drawn.

"I spend precious time flaring my spiritual pressure in hopes of drawing you into my trap, but you never come! I've never had such an insolent specimen that not only escaped but then went and ignored me! I will make you suffer for you impudence!" The Captain raged. Orihime gasped and tried to step in front of Grimmjow, despite her knowledge that she wouldn't be much of a defense, but the former Espada had his pride and pulled her back behind him. Noticing, the Soul Reaper sneered that the two. "Do not bother! There is no safe place for anyone within a two-mile vicinity of you!"

Grimmjow growled, but remained still; as much as he wanted to kill the bastard in the most painful of ways, he knew that it would make staying with Orihime practically impossible. He ground his teeth together in frustration and glared was absolute hatred at his enemy as he forced himself to remain where he was and to not attack. Curses escaped under his breath and he forced himself to concentrate on not allowing his spiritual pressure to leak from his hold. He had to wait for the girl's friends to come (now there was something he'd thought he'd never be doing).

"P-please, Captain Kurotsuchi! Just listen!" Orihime pleaded as she tried to peek from behind the broad back that repeatedly moved in order to keep her out of the Soul Reaper's sight.

"I will not! Do you know how long and how much trouble I went through to convince the Head Captain to allow me to come to retrieve this arrancar? He is the last living Espada specimen I have left and if you think I will just overlook all of my effort and materials used during my research with him, then you can forget it! Though I prefer to catch him alive, I will settle for dead if I must!"

"I won't let you touch him!" Orihime snapped back and her Shun Shun Rika dispersed from her hair pins to fly around her. She was ready to fight if she had to. She was stronger than she was ever before; her resolve was practically unmatched at that moment.

Grimmjow wasn't going to let his girl to get caught up in a fight with the bastard. With the way things were going, he had to get out of the apartment and to a more open area. With that in mind, he eyed the little fairies as they flew protectively around him and the girl behind him and a simple plan began to form. He wasn't into excessive strategizing, but the situation wouldn't allow him to simply react instinctively.

"I will not put up with this! Claw out, Ashisogi Jizō!" Snapped Kurotsuchi as he released his shikai. He swung his blade at the still unarmed arrancar, driving Orihime to quickly use Baigon, Hinagiku, and Lily to block the attack. Using the temporary distraction he'd been waiting for to his advantage, Grimmjow quickly scooped the human girl up under his arm and jumped through the window; the two didn't fit through the opening so he ended up destroying it and a chunk of the wall itself in the process. He landed on the roof he often sat on and turned to see the Soul Reaper scowling at them from the hole made from the hasty escape.

"That defensive power of yours is still quite interesting, girl." The scientist's voice drifted up to the pair perched at the building's edge. "It is a pity that I have been forbidden from seeing just what it is that makes your powers work; obviously it is quite fascinating considering Aizen's capture of you two years ago." The words were barely out of the man's mouth when Grimmjow felt a wave of fury wash over him.

"Shut up!" He snapped out. Though he did not actually speak his complete threat, it was underlined by his tone. He would not tolerate Orihime being spoken to in such a way.

"Don't tell me you have not wondered about it yourself, arrancar. I found her power's residue on your left arm. Did she heal you? Perhaps she reformed your arm for you. Am I right?" The Captain chuckled to himself. "That would explain your fascination of both her and for ripping your enemies' arms off."

"I said SHUT UP!" Grimmjow roared and Orihime covered her ears from her place under his arm. Things were turning uglier by the second; where was Rukia with everyone else? She wished they would hurry.

"In a way, it is good that she chose to side with the enemy; this way I might finally be allowed to get my hands on such an interesting subject." The Captain finished and successfully added the final straw.

Grimmjow saw red as he pictured a sudden image of Orihime, the sweetest and most beautiful girl who never did anything wrong, going through the same torture that he'd gone through. That did it. In a flash, the arrancar dropped the girl down onto the roof and drew Pantera from its sheath.

"You're dead." He snarled as he attacked. The clash of the blades made the human girl flinch as she peered over the roof's edge. Somehow she'd managed not to cry out in alarm as the man she loved carried her around, hardly being gentle at that; luckily he was careful not to be rough either. Her six Shun Shun Rika returned to their place in her hair pins so they would not be harmed during the battle but still be ready to came to her aid should she call.

"Grimmjow…" she whispered and hoped he would be okay. If only the Captain hadn't shown up. Rangiku and Nemu suddenly appeared on the rooftop behind her.

"It's dangerous up here. Let's move further away to wait for my Captain. He'll be hurrying now that these two are fighting all out." The Squad Ten Lieutenant suggested; it was clear that she was not happy with the current predicament.

"Grimmjow's not." Orihime said, not moving from her spot.

"What?" The older woman was puzzled by the younger one's words.

"Grimmjow isn't using all of his power." The girl repeated with more detail.

"What do you mean?"

"The arrancar is fighting with most of his spiritual pressure reigned in." It was Nemu who answered. "It is clear that he is trying to protect Ms. Inoue. My Captain is provoking him into attacking on purpose in order to test him, but the arrancar won't fight with all of his power as long as we are near enough to get harmed as well. Due to this theory, I suggest we relocate as well." The normally quiet assistant concluded.

Orihime didn't want to move though. She felt that by being there, she was giving her support to Grimmjow. Her eyes followed him and Kurotsuchi as the battle moved up into the now night sky. It was clear that even while holding back, the arrancar was giving the Captain a difficult time; he was faster and physically stronger. However, it was Kurotsuchi who inflicted the first damage of the fight. He was careful and timed his strike so he would cut the back of Grimmjow's hand. The three watching missed the move, so neither thought about Ashisogi Jizō's ability. The former Espada scoffed at the small drop of blood that welled up around the miniscule wound.

"You'll have to do better than that!" He taunted, but the Soul Reaper only grinned in response. Pissed that the asshole could look so damn happy, the arrancar launched himself forward, his zanpakuto cutting up toward his opponent's heart. He landed a hit just above the Soul Reaper's shoulder. It was after a couple more blows that Grimmjow noticed that his body was starting to have trouble moving.

"Hey…does Grimmjow know about Captain Kurotsuchi's zanpakuto's paralyzing ability?" Rangiku asked from her spot on the rooftop. The way he moved indicated that the arrancar was concentrating on offense more and not really on defense. Against someone like the scientist who did not find trickery to be below him, guarding should be more imperative. Orihime took a moment to realize that Rangiku had a point. How could she have forgotten something so important? Uryu had told her about the fight and how he was unable to move after being cut by the Captain's blade, but could feel everything.

"Grimmjow!" She yelled, shooting to her feet and cupping her hands over her mouth. "Grimmjow! Don't let him cut you! His zanpakuto has a paralyzing ability!" She called out hoping he could hear her from his place so far above her head.

He'd heard her. A muttered swear escaped his lips as he glanced at the small slice on his hand; that explained why he was having trouble moving.

"Damn it!" He bit out and the bastard's arrogant chuckled met his ears in return.

"It's too late. I am the winner in this game." Kurotsuchi claimed gleefully. The girls below looked between each other, all wondering whether Grimmjow had been hit and when it could have happened.

"The Captain must have already cut him." The Squad Ten lieutenant said and Orihime's eyes widened in realization.

"Oh no! I have to help-" She tried to summon her Shun Shun Rika, but Rangiku stopped her.

"Hold it, Orihime. I know how you feel, but if you interfere, things will only worsen. I will tell my Captain when he arrives that Captain Kurotsuchi provoked Grimmjow into fighting him, but you must be patient for a little longer."

"But…" The girl tried to respond, but she gave up at the sight of her dear sister figure's sympathetic yet solemn expression.

The former Espada wasn't willing to give up; he wouldn't go down without making sure he left his mark on his opponent. With this in mind, he stole a glance down at Orihime; her wide grey orbs flooded with concern gave him the strength he needed to force his body to sonido up close to Kurotsuchi and grab the scientist by the front of his current headdress.

"What are you doing? Unhand me!" The Soul Reaper snapped angrily. He stabbed Grimmjow in the side with his zanpakuto, but the stronger male was determined.

"Cero." The former Sexta Espada smirked as he released the powerful red beam to light up the sky. The two Soul Reapers below realized what was happening only after they noticed the glow in the arrancar's hand; they both dove down, one tackling the human as she went, so they would be somewhat better concealed from the blast. The moment the cero vanished, Nemu looked into the sky with concern for her father and Captain.

"Lord Mayuri!" She called out as she, Orihime, and Rangiku stared up at the two figures still standing.

"Shut up, Nemu! You are so annoying!" The Captain coughed up blood and gripped his blade tightly. Half of his torso was badly burned and missing a sizable chunk, but he had still managed to dodge a majority of the attack by slicing off the ends of his headdress. His crazed golden glare was focused on Grimmjow who was still able to somehow move his body, though only barely. "How dare you do that! You're finished, you insect!"

"No…you are." The arrancar replied with difficulty. "I'm not…done yet." He slowly raised Pantera and managed to step forward slightly, ignoring the pain from the deep stab wound in his side.

"How is it that you're able to still move? My poison should have taken affect by now!" Kurotsuchi was furious but also curious. It was obvious though that it was only a matter of time before Grimmjow was totally immobile. The scientist sheathed his zanpakuto so he could inject his healing serum into himself in order repair his wounds.

At the sight of the injuries he'd managed to inflict beginning to knit closed, Grimmjow's teeth ground together in frustration. He was losing motor control quickly while his opponent was back in the perfect condition he'd been in at the beginning of their altercation. He was screwed. But he wouldn't go down without a fight; for both his pride…and her. He blew a stray strand of blue hair out of his vision and took another step toward his foe.

"Bring it, asshole." He mumbled, but it was too soft.

"What was that, insect?" Kurotsuchi tilted his head and blinked in a demeaning manner as he waited for the arrancar to repeat himself.

"I said…bring it…asshole. I'll kill you for even thinking about hurting her. I won't lose to you…I _swear_ it…just try to defeat me…so hurry up and bring it…_asshole_." He breathed heavily between words due to the exertion he was putting out in order to simply keep himself from falling to the streets below.

"…As feisty as ever, I see. I suppose breaking you wouldn't be nearly as much fun if you weren't so belligerent though."

"Ha…you say that, but I know that…that you're just afraid." Grimmjow huffed out.

"What? Me? Afraid? Don't be stupid!" The Captain turned his nose up in disdain.

"Why else would you…would you panic so much…over me staying here? You fear…strength…" The words barely left the arrancar's mouth when Kurotsuchi's bared teeth clicked together as he lifted a painted-white hand to wave the notion aside.

"Strength you say? Do I honestly need to remind you of the cause for your rapid increase of spiritual pressure? It was _I_ who injected you with a special bacterium that I developed to absorb massive amounts of spirit particles from the very air itself! Though I did not realize that it was the cause for your increase of power until I studied you just now, it is apparent that that is indeed the reason. If you had not "died" when I first introduced the bacterium to your system, we would not have thought you were a failure and you never would have had the chance to escape! Though the effects were slow to appear because I was unable to continue the experiment's treatment due to your stupid reaction, I am happy to conclude that overall it was a success!"

Below Orihime listened to the two speaking and gasped that the Captain's words. Was that rash that Grimmjow had when she healed him four months ago a symptom of the reaction mentioned? Meanwhile Rangiku was frowning in annoyance.

"What is he talking about, Nemu?" She questioned. For a brief second, the lieutenant of Squad Twelve was silent…then she spoke which was a surprise.

"The goal was to develop a way for Soul Reapers to absorb massive amounts of spirit particles in order to increase their power by injecting the recipients with an engineered bacterium in multiple locations over a substantial span of time. It was his fight with the Quincy, Uryu Ishida that inspired the idea. Because the specimen, as an arrancar, is similar to Soul Reapers, Master Mayuri wanted to know if it would work the same on him as it would on the average case. In all honesty, no one could have guessed he would have had such an impressive growth after only one injection. Considering how the bacterium was dormant for the first three months, he would have to have absorbed billions of spirit particles in the past month alone."

"I have a theory about that." Kurotsuchi said as he redrew his zanpakuto. "I believe it has something to do with the girl's power. If I am correct, she rejected the element I added in order to control the bacterium while healing the subject at some point, thus allowing this arrancar to devour almost every spirit particle in the air around him without even realizing it! Even now he is; too bad he can't move to put his powers to use. If only you used your full potential…you may have caused harm to certain individuals below and eradicated half of the town, but your win would have been immanent. This only proves that the foolish will never win." He laughed.

"That certainly explains everything. But what kind of an idiot purposely injects a violent Espada with something that would increase their powers exponentially?" Rangiku commented.

"Shut up!" the Captain shrieked in fury at the insult.

"You shut up!" Grimmjow yelled at his opponent; he had only meant to taunt the Soul Reaper into attacking, not into giving a detailed explanation about every damn thing he did to him. He hadn't even realized that his spiritual pressure increasing so much in such a short span of time was in fact unusual, so why would he care now? Besides, whenever he thought about how the bastard injected all sorts of random shit into him, his skin would itch uncomfortably. "I've had enough if this!" He was about to attempt to attack when suddenly a familiar, giant zanpakuto appeared in front of him. The blade was turned away from his throat so it would only serve as a sort of stopper, it didn't matter though; the poison from Ashisogi Jizō had finally taken full effect anyway. "Ichigo…" He growled, but the normal surge of anger did not fill him at the sight of the teenager…perhaps it was because of how Nel was currently attached to him in a similar way a baby monkey would be to their mother, thus creating a quite humorous sight.

"Grimmjow…that's enough." The Substitute Soul Reaper said firmly. How he was able to keep a straight face with the adult Nel waving gleefully over his shoulder was beyond anyone's guess.

"That goes for you too, Captain Kurotsuchi." Hitsugaya specified appearing before his fellow Captain with Hyōrinmaru drawn; Renji was at his side.

"I-Ichigo! Toshiro! Renji!" Orihime cried from her place on the roof. "And Nel?" She confused yet delighted about the last one.

"Are you three alright?" Rukia asked as she dropped down beside the human with Chad and Uryu following close behind.

"Rukia! Chad! Uryu! We're all alright, but Grimmjow is hurt. And paralyzed! I have to go to him!" The girl turned to her friends with pleading eyes that didn't fail to reflect her relief before turning back to stare up into the night sky once more. Seeing the mint-green haired arrancar swinging on Ichigo's shoulders while rubbing her cheek against the back of his skull, she added, "By the way, what is Nel doing here?"

"Apparently Grimmjow had her distract everyone so he could close to you." The small dark haired girl answered. "Anyway, you'll have to be patient. We'll let you heal him in time."

Meanwhile, Ichigo was trying to pry the busty woman off of him but gave up after a minute. He ignored Dondochakka and Pesche as they cried a little ways off about being replaced and instead focused again on Grimmjow who remained in the same battle stance he'd been in since he'd arrived on the scene.

"Hey! I said that's enough. The fight is over." His only reply was a glare that would kill if it could. "What's wrong with you?"

"He was wounded by Captain Kurotsuchi's shikai. It has a poison that paralyzes the victim but keeps their ability of perception intact so they will feel everything." Uryu answered from the roof by Chad and the women. He knew from experience how horrible the toxin was. "You better get him down here before the poison takes its full effect on him and he falls." He knew that if Grimmjow collapsed, or even worse, died, Orihime would freak out, and that would not help matters.

"Paralyze…? So you can't move? At all?" The inquisitive look that Ichigo sent his way gave Grimmjow the urge to punch the boy. He'd been glad that he was able to stay on his feet for so long, but now that he would have to rely on another, expecially Kurosaki (the little bastard), to not let him fall to the streets below…he'd rather just fall. It's not as if he would die from such a thing anyway. Sadly, the Quincy didn't help matters by adding on more reason for the boy to willingly lend a hand.

"It's poison and is killing him, Ichigo, so I suggest you get the antidote from Kurotsuchi as soon as possible!" Uryu added and Orihime gasped in panic next to him; she'd forgotten about that part.

"I'll ask my Captain to help with that." Rangiku chimed as she flash stepped off. Nemu remained silent as she stood slightly behind Uryu, her eyes focused on him. The Substitute Soul Reaper managed to maneuver himself so he was on a reasonably stab-free side of the arrancar. With one of Grimmjow's arms slung over his shoulder, he supported the taller male's weight (Nel was still clinging to him) and within seconds the three were touching down onto the roof.

The former enemy was settled down so he was leaning up against the building's railing as Orihime dropped to her knees and held her hands up. Shun'o and Ayame flew out over him and she began to heal both the deep stab wound and the small cut that was the main cause for the arrancar's pained condition. Grimmjow gritted his teeth as he felt his side knit together and couldn't help but recall the last time she'd had to heal him. Rangiku returned with the antidote that Toshiro somehow convinced Kurotsuchi to give up, so it was not long until everyone was in perfect health once more. Though it wasn't over, by that time Orihime was so tired that the events that transpired afterward all became a merged blur.

* * *

><p>The large group for friends couldn't help but laugh. They'd just added two more to their posse, even if one of which was extremely reluctant and they weren't too fond of him either; he made Orihime happy though, and her smiles were infectious. If it had not been her who asked Grimmjow to join her and everyone for a picnic, he would have told them the go screw themselves. The arrancar scowled at everyone who dared to come within ten feet of him, but the girl thought his expression was cute and smiled even more.<p>

It was three days after the night the Soul Reapers had come to capture Grimmjow. The day was slightly cloudy and cool, but nice enough to still be pleasant. Normally that time of year was odd for a eating outside, but when the exuberant girl had her "wonderful idea", no one could refuse her; besides, the weather was decent enough that they could still enjoy themselves. Tatsuki, Keigo, and Mizuiro joined the usual Ichigo, Chad, Uryu, Rukia, Renji, and Orihime along with the new additions: Grimmjow and Nel Tu. Gathered around in a circle as they were, except for the feline arrancar who was scowling in a tree a few meters away, the girl found it hard to believe how simple everything seemed then after the occurrences of the past few days. Looking back, she slowly thought over the events that took place to lead up to the new happiness the enveloped them currently as she nibbled on a piece of food.

The night of the fight, after contacting his superior, Toshiro explained that Grimmjow was to be apprehended and secured then taken to the Soul Society to stand trial; it was the best the young Captain could convince the Head Captain to agree to. At least the Captains were the one's deciding the arrancar's fate since the new Central 46 would have been less willing to listen.

At first the former Espada was dead against going, but then he saw the worry on the human's face and decided that it was his chance to get the Soul Reapers off their back once and for all. Orihime insisted that she go too, which resulted in all of her friends agreeing that they should have a say as well. In the end, the Substitute Soul Reaper, his friends (including Nel who was then following the substitute like a puppy), and all Lieutenants were allowed in to watch the proceedings and comment when the time came. The trial was to take place a full day later; the wait was not a relaxed one.

The former arrancar was bound tightly (he complained loudly about the kido collar they put on him to restrict him) and seated in a chair that groaned when he plopped down on it. He was in the center of a large round room with the Captains in front of him in a horse shoe arrangement while all observers were behind him on wood benches. The only light in the room was focused on him from above, succeeding in irritating him even more. Orihime recalled how his eyes glared daggers from one Captain to the next before his right eye began to twitch, indicating that he could lose his temper at any moment. Luckily, he had more self-control then more would think and held it all in. Head Captain Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto began the meeting and it continued for roughly five hours; the human wasn't sure about time after a while.

The human girl stood up to comment first; she explained how Grimmjow rescued her from Loly and Menoly, took her to Ichigo to heal two years before, and temporarily removed Ulquiorra from the picture. She described how if he had not done what he did, her friends and millions of others would be dead, she herself would either be dead or still imprisoned, and Aizen would have won the war and gotten his way. After hearing the girl speak so passionately, Ichigo decided to add how Grimmjow is both honorable, shown when he purposely went out of his way to have a fair fight and also to repay his debts, and hadn't done anything to warrant punishment after Aizen was gone anyway. He hung around Orihime…but that hardly meant that he was planning to destroy the world. A few others made statements as well, some positive, while others were negative, but it was Rukia who spoke last while remaining professional. The short Soul Reaper spoke of two years before when Grimmjow put a hole in her gut and fought Ichigo, but she also described the past month in which he resided in Karakura Town; about how the hollows stayed away more with him in the area, how he hadn't harmed any living or dead innocents for as long as she knew him, and how he pretty much avoided everyone (besides Orihime). She basically explained how she knew he, though perhaps had not changed, but rather did not see them as enemies, thus indicating that conceivably they should not see him as one either. Next was the arrancar's chance to defend himself.

When questioned about his past actions when he served the former Fifth Captain, Grimmjow was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "When Aizen told someone to do something, they had no choice but to do it. He knew how to make those who disrespected him suffer."

Even two days later, Orihime could remember the quiet that followed his words quite clearly. The whole room held its breath as Yamamoto, who was seated directly in front of the arrancar with the other twelve Captains on either side of him, then inquired in a grave tone, "If the chance ever came for you to assist Sōsuke Aizen in taking control over Hueco Mundo, would you do so…even if only out of fear for your survival?" All observers present jumped when Grimmjow let out a bark of laughter.

"Fear? Weren't you listening to what I said? I said 'someone'; did I sound like I was talking about myself? I grew out of such useless caution long ago when I decided that there was no point in demeaning myself just to satisfy some stiff who apparently doesn't even know how to win a freaking war. Some genius! Besides, after what I've been through, there is nothing anybody can do that will faze me now! That bastard could burn in hell for all I care…in fact, I would love for just that. The asshole thought that he had the right to order me around. _Him_! A cast-off Soul Reaper who had the stupidity to fancy himself as King! The egocentric jack-ass; he deserved to be beaten by Kurosaki! I will never kiss his ass or anyone else's again like some other weakling morons who were too busy licking his fucking boots to notice how pathetic they were; take Ulquiorra for example! That skinny weakling spent more time bowing then anyone…though it must have been hard with that stick up his ass…" He droned on for several minutes about how much he hated Aizen and most of the other Espada (he didn't mind the first or third Espada as much as the others), his language growing increasingly colorful as he went until a number of individuals listening began to blush and Yamamoto was forced to interrupt him. They'd let him vent enough that he stopped the moment he was voiced to, but it was clear that he enjoyed the reactions he'd received from his speech and found them extremely hilarious.

After that, the only question remaining was not so much as whether they had to worry about Grimmjow (other than polluting the minds of innocents with his foul language), but what they would do with him. Two of the Captains wanted to kill him because he was an arrancar and could become a threat in the future, one wanted to keep him for research purposes, two wanted to either lock him away for all eternity or let Kurotsuchi have him, one didn't care unless he was allowed to fight him, and the last seven were unsure, but recognized that he deserved a chance. In the end, it was decided that it would be best to just send him back to Hueco Mundo (along with Nel while they were at it; she was still hugging Ichigo as she watched the unofficial trial) so he could create havoc there, but Grimmjow immediately rejected the idea.

"Not good enough!" He yelled and Orihime could recall the surprise on everyone's face. She was back in the stands and listening with a falling heart as she heard how the Soul Reapers would send him away; she knew they would never let her follow him…but then she heard his outburst. All traces of tears seemed to dry instantly. For as long as she lived, she would never forget his next words, "I have things to take care of; I can't just skip on back to that shit hole without her! You bloody incompetents can't possible protect a miracle like that girl! I can't take her but I refuse to leave her!" The teenager blushed with happiness and was too busy trying to calm her fluttering heart that she missed much of the argument that then ensued between the Captains and the determined arrancar. It was not until Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihōin made their appearance that she returned to the real world. By that time, it was apparent that everyone was at the end of their rope because of the argumentative and offensive man and just wanted to get rid of him, so they were very open to listening to what Urahara had to say.

The genius store keeper and former Captain explained how he'd had a feeling that something like the current issue would happen for months and had already prepared a special gigai for the arrancar and was currently working on one for Nel as well. He even took Kurotsuchi's bacterium into consideration when designing it and made it so Grimmjow would be unable to absorb spirit particles when within it, thus preventing further unwanted growth. The arrancar did not care about having to wear a gigai as long as he could remove it occasionally, though he complained about the storekeeper's next suggestion that both arrancars could stay with him. Urahara planned to observe Grimmjow in order to make sure that he didn't cause trouble or that he wouldn't have a sudden reaction to whatever the current Twelfth Captain injected into him. The Captain's decided to go along with the idea and the next day, the group returned to the World of the Living.

Finally leaving her thoughts, Orihime smiled warmly at Grimmjow and he relaxed slightly against the tree he sat in. Beside her Tatsuki eyed the blue-haired male that obviously had the innocent girl swooning over him. The tom-girl recognized him immediately, but it took a minute to remember where she'd seen him. The newly recalled knowledge that he had fought Ichigo in what had appeared to be a death match at the time was more than enough to leave her uneasy about him. Keigo was terrified of the intimidating man's presence, but instantly liked Nel for a number of obvious reasons; the poor guy couldn't see why she was so crazy about Ichigo though. Mizuiro took everything in stride as he normally did.

From his place, Grimmjow watched the teens and Soul Reapers alike eat on a large blanket that they had laid down on the grass and wondered how his girl could ever pick him over such a lovey-dovey crowd. He found it sickening how Nel, despite being an arrancar and former Espada as well, could instantly dive in and befriend them all. They all laughed and joked between bites; most of the time they recalled past experiences to share among themselves. Though wasn't exactly anti-social, personally, Grimmjow preferred to just sit and watch Orihime, but for some reason certain other people didn't seem to think so.

"Hey, Grimmjow! Are you sure you're fine way over there?" Kurosaki asked. The brooding male was like a body guard, glaring at every passerby who happened to wander within twenty feet of the picnic area (or more specifically, Orihime). It was starting to dampen the mood.

"Shut up, Kurosaki!" the arrancar snapped back, still annoyed with how friendly the boy was acting toward him; they were enemies for crying out loud! Perhaps what the Soul Reaper needed was a reminder…sadly, if he gave the brat a good beating, Orihime would be upset, so the arrancar decided to just ignore him instead and with luck the boy would eventually stop bothering him.

The friends continued to eat until all of the food was gone. Not even the cakes that Orihime had brought remained…though that probably had more to do with the fact that they were leftovers from where she worked since she hadn't had time to cook some of her special recipes. Cheeks tinted pink from both the nip of the chilly air and from laughter, the members one by one stood to go since they had other appointments to proceed to. Ichigo, Uryu, Chad, and Renji all assisted in the clean up since they had not brought food while Orihime folded the blanket with Rukia.

Grimmjow, noticing that the giant and the Quincy were starting to wander off to wherever, decided to jump down from the tree he'd been perched in and landed with feline grace despite the new and uncomfortably heavy feeling of being in a gigai. Nel was sulking about having to leave Ichigo's side, but it was obvious that Renji was adamant that the childish woman couldn't stay with the Substitute; since he was currently staying (mooching) at Urahara's, it was his job to make sure that the arrancars made it to the store and didn't spend the night doing who-knows-what around town. Though he knew Nel was not a problem, he wasn't willing to risk a scolding so soon in his assignment.

With the blanket folded neatly in her arms, Orihime offered a kind smile to Nel while Rukia said, "It'll only be for the night; since it's the weekend you will see him again in the morning, Nel." The female arrancar's sighed and nodded before reaching out and grabbing the human and Soul Reaper by their arms to pull them off down the path. Ichigo and Renji gathered up the rest of the supplies brought for the picnic then followed the girls. Grimmjow scowled from the end of the line as the girls chattered energetically about clothes that Orihime could lend to Nel until they could go shopping for her.

It was clear that the Substitute and the Soul Reaper found the conversation just as tedious as the arrancar, but kept the fact to themselves. Grimmjow, though, lacked the patience at the moment to do the same, so he instead turned his thoughts to something else in hopes of easing his boredom. Sadly, the first thing that popped up in his head was how freaking uncomfortable the stupid gigai was. It made him feel so restricted. The stupid storekeeper didn't bother changing his hair color despite how odd it was, which Grimmjow was pleased about, but he did omit the mask fragment and green marking below his eyes, which the arrancar didn't like. He could live with the changes though and understood why they were made. Other than the two omissions, the gigai looked just like him, even had the battle scars that he kept as a reminder. One thing he did like about his new look was the clothes. White had never been his thing; blue jeans and a grey button up top were apparently. It sucked that he had to borrow the garments from Ichigo's father, who happened to be the same height as him, but the fact that he made them look so much better than the old man ever did made up for it. Besides, it was only temporary.

Glancing ahead at the happy trio as they chattered away, he held back a snort of amusement at the difference in height. The Soul Reaper was already exceptionally short, but beside Nel, who was only about four inches shorter then himself, she appeared positively tiny. The female arrancar's looked quite different from her normal appearance; without her mask fragment on the top of her head, the scar that cut down between her eyes and the red mark across her face, she could have passed for Orihime's sister…except for her mint-green hair, of course. She wore one of Orihime's more modest dresses with a skirt that would have fell past Nel's knees if she wasn't so much taller than his girl and a matching knit sweater. The outfit was light blue (the shade was similar to the former Sexta Espada's hair) and would have looked better on its owner Grimmjow decided…Ichigo apparently didn't think so though considering how the boy was staring at the sway of the woman's hips as she walked. Typical. Oddly enough, the red-haired Soul Reaper on the other hand was watching the sky, totally lost in his thoughts and completely oblivious to a majority of his surroundings. As long as he wasn't admiring the human in her long-sleeved yellow dress and white jumper, the former Espada didn't care. The red-head blew out a long breath and sighed and Grimmjow decided that he was even more bored then before.

The arrancar quickly turned his attention to fixate on Orihime instead; she would always be much more entertaining than some dumb Soul Reaper. The girl was laughing again and moving with a slight skip in her step. The knee length skirt danced about her legs, drawing the feline arrancar's attention momentarily before Ichigo unknowingly stepped into his line of vision. Immediately his blue eyes snapped up to see her looking back and forth between Nel and Rukia with a bright smile on her face. It was clear that whatever she and the two at her side were talking about had her complete attention. Grimmjow couldn't ignore the small stab of jealousy or stop the mega-scowl that the emotion brought about from forming. Of course that damn Kurosaki would choose that very moment to rip his gaze from his own eye candy and glance back to make sure that his rival was still obediently following.

"What's with that look, Grimmjow?" he asked, much to the arrancar's displeasure. Great…another stupid question. What went on in his head wasn't even any of the little punk's business.

"Shut up, Ichigo Kurosaki." He growled back.

"You're the one with that expression. And stop saying my full name like that…it's creepy." The Substitute Soul Reaper stopped in his tracks and turned to face the taller male. His brown eyes narrowed and his shoulders rolled back, indicating his irritation. Renji was too caught up in his thoughts to notice what was happening just as Rukia and Orihime were in their conversation. Nel however, had removed herself from the talks at the sound of Ichigo's tone and glanced over her shoulder to see what was wrong. Grimmjow ignored the glare that his fellow arrancar gave him when she realized that he was the cause of her precious Soul Reaper's agitation, and instead sneered at the boy before him.

"Tsk…you disgust me." He quipped coldly and stomped past the Substitute, but stopped and turned to face him again when the boy reacted louder than he thought he would.

"What?" Ichigo's outburst attracted the rest of the group's attention. They could see Ichigo's face while Grimmjow now had his back to them. Orihime bit her lip as the waves of tension radiating from the pair caused the hair on the back of her neck to stand on end. Them trying to get along was apparently too much to ask for. At her side Rukia was about to scold the two for arguing, but Renji held a hand out to silence her.

"Just let them be. With Ichigo in his body and the arrancar in his gigai, there isn't much either of them can do." He said to his longtime friend, who opened her mouth to complain, but decided against it when she noticed the expression on Orihime's face. The human's apparent sadness even crushed any and all resentment Nel had for Grimmjow. Unless their argument turned to the exchange of physical blows, it was best for everyone to just keep to themselves.

"I'm not here to be you're friend; I'm here strictly to keep an eye on ditsy-girl over there." He said jabbing his thumb over his shoulder at the Orihime. The human's eyes widened when she was mentioned but remained silent. "If you keep bugging me, I'll kick your ass again." The arrancar figured not even the thick-headed Substitute could not understand the warning. Apparently he was wrong.

"First of all, the last time we fought, I won." Ichigo replied sharply. "Second, I just helped save your life! How about showing a little gratitude!" Orihime, sensing danger hurried over and stood beside both of them as she wondered if she was strong enough to break up a fight should one ensue. She glanced down the park's path to see that the other three were watching patiently as if they were simply waiting for them to tie their shoe or something just as trivial. It didn't matter; with their current bodies restricting their powers, her Shun Shun Rika would surely be enough to halt all violence.

"Exactly! What kind of moron does that?" Ichigo opened his mouth to respond, but paused when he heard a soft mumble from the girl at his side. Grimmjow paused and glanced down at Orihime with a raised eyebrow indicating his curiosity. "What was that?" He questioned. Even with his super hearing, he missed what she said.

"I said…you sort of did…too…" She said softly looking up at Grimmjow from under her eyelashes. She hadn't been able to help herself; the words had just slipped out a second time. By the time she grasped what exactly came out of her mouth not once, but twice, Ichigo was already sniggering while the others were smirking.

If anyone else had said such a thing to him, he would have instantly left his gigai and shoved a bala down their throat for pointing out that he'd done something that could be conceived as "nice". With Orihime though…the way she looked at him, with her eyes so wide and her lips set into a slight pout, was so adorable that he only processed her words enough to understand that she was teasing him. She meant no harm by her comment.

Holding back the twitch of a smile that her innocent gaze stirred, the arrancar lifted a large hand and dropped it on the girls head, ruffling her hair slightly. "Whatever…" He said, managing to mask a majority of the affection that laced his tone with false annoyance, but everyone paying attention could still hear it. He hadn't even noticed that the others found humor in the situation and instead made a decision that surprised the group. He glanced around, taking in the fact that they had reached the edge of the park and that Orihime would be walking home alone from that point. It was not dark, but the sun was sending hints of starting to set. "Come on, then. I'll walk you home." He said looking in the direction the girl's apartment was in. Renji opened his mouth to reject the idea, but the arrancar gave him a look that killed the words before they were spoken. "I'll go to that stupid store afterward." Maybe.

At that time, no one worried about him hurting the girl; his regard for her was plainer than day. It was obvious that there was no changing Grimmjow's mind, so the friend's settled with saying their goodbyes before parting ways. Nel would have went to Urahara's place with only Renji, but upon hearing how Grimmjow was walking Orihime home, she decided that Ichigo had to escort her to her current place of residence as well; then Rukia remembered that she wanted to ask Urahara something and decided that she would tag along. In the end, the group split two ways instead of three.

The former Espada led the way with his hands in his pockets as the human followed. His month in Karakura Town left him with perfect knowledge of the area; he could find his way to the girl's home blindfolded if he had to.

Orihime's eyes were glued to the man's broad back. She nibbled on her bottom lip absently and her hold around the blanket tightened. It was the first time they'd been alone together since before his fight with Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi. The thought of the mad scientist reminded the girl of how Rangiku told her that he had been heavily reprimanded for his experiments on Grimmjow by the Head Captain. Orihime couldn't help but think that it served the crazy clown right. Flashes of the injuries she'd healed on the former Espada danced through her mind and she felt her eyes begin to water.

Despite the gigai, Grimmjow immediately caught the scent of the salty liquid and knew that she was starting to cry. What left him stumped though was why.

"What's wrong now?" He sighed with a look over his shoulder and the girl quickly shook her head.

"Nothing." She blurted out. He didn't believe her, but figured to just let her deal with whatever was bothering her on her own if that was what she wanted. He turned back in the direction he was heading and continued along, but remained alert in case she changed her mind or, more likely, tripped.

In truth, his concern was enough to make her feel all better; he truly was her knight…even if he wasn't in shining armor. It didn't matter, dark knights were great too; in fact, she knew that the arrancar was much better than any glittering hero from a fairy tail; he was real and…he made her world so much clearer. Orihime's existence was far from being simplistic, but somehow…Grimmjow made everything right; in the end, he balanced her out just as much, if not more, as she did him.

Her gaze watched him run his hand though his blue hair and she absent-mindedly increased her pace and reached out to grasp his arm. He had no time to react before she let out the words that had wanted to reach out to him for a long time.

"Grimmjow…I love you." She said with so much honesty that it was evident in her tone. A blush crept up onto her cheeks, mixing with to red from the cool evening air. For a moment he did not respond, but then…he slowly turned his head until their eyes connected and blue met grey. A smirk that spoke volumes adorned his face. He didn't need to say anything; she already knew that she had just made him so thrilled that getting him to go to Urahara's later was going to be extremely difficult.


End file.
